We are interested in marine ecological and evolutionary processes in the tropics and their implications in the context of global change, management and conservation. Such processes include for example dispersal, adaptation, speciation and adaptive radiation. We work mostly on reef fishes, but are keen to also consider other marine organisms. Our main tool is population genomics, which we often complement with other approaches such as behavior or theory. Recent and ongoing projects in the lab are as varied as the genomic bases of speciation and adaptive radiation, dispersal in the context of artisanal fisheries and marine protected areas, the analysis of color pattern in reef fishes, animal personality, mimicry or the evolution of egg trading in simultaneous hermaphrodites. We have strong links with the Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM) at the University of Oldenburg (https://uol.de/en/icbm), where my professorship is based, as well as with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama (https://stri.si.edu/) where I am a Research Associate. See our lab webpage (http://www.puebla-lab.org/) for details, updates and news.

WG Members
- Group Leader
Prof. Dr. Oscar Puebla - Scientists
Dr. Martin Helmkampf, Dr. Melanie Heckwolf - Doctoral Candidates
Floriane Coulmance, Estradivari, Sabrin Abdelghany, Cretus Joseph Mtonga, Serra Örey - M.Sc. Students
Kirsti Burnett, Phuong Dung Doan, Nina Rebecca Tombers, Finn Opätz - Alumni
Kosmas Hench, Syrmalenia Kotronaki
Archiv Nachrichten
Expeditions (Selection)
News / Current
News Archive
- New NAM Fellows start at ZMT
- International researchers demand: Listen to people in the tropics for ocean protection
- Research in short: Co-designing Science
- OECMs: new instrument for the protection of biodiversity
- Origin of rapid species diversification in coral reefs
- Top marks for Bremen institute: Successful evaluation of the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT)
- Oscar Puebla appointed Professor of Fish Ecology
- CEMarin at ZMT: Strengthening ties with marine research in Colombia
Events
Other Events
Publications
- Andradi-Brown, D.A., Veverka, L., Amkieltiela, Crane, N.L., Estradivari, Fox, H.E., Gill, D., Goetze, J., Gough, C., Krueck, N.C., Lester, S.E., Mahajan, S.L, Rulmal, J., Teoh, M., Ahmadia, G.N. (2023). Diversity in marine protected area regulations: Protection approaches for locally appropriate marine management. Frontiers in Marine Science 10, DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2023.1099579. OPEN ACCESS
- Gill, D.A., Blythe, J., Bennett, N., Evans, L., Brown, K., Turner, R.A., Baggio, J.A., Baker, D., Ban, N.C., Brun, V., Claudet, J., Darling, E., Di Franco, A., Epstein, G., Estradivari, Gray, N.J., Gurney, G.G., Horan, R.P., Jupiter, S.D., Lau, J.D., Lazzari, N., Lestari, P., Mahajan, S.L., Mangubhai, S., Naggea, J. (2023). Triple exposure: Reducing negative impacts of climate change, blue growth, and conservation on coastal communities. One Earth 6(2), pp. 118-130. DOI: 10.1016/j.oneear.2023.01.010.
- Merten, V., Puebla, O., Bayer, T., Reusch, T.B.H., Fuss, J., Stefanschitz, J., Metfies, K., Stauffer, J.B., Hoving, H.J. (2023). ) Arctic nekton uncovered by e DNA metabarcoding: Diversity, potential range expansions, and pelagic‐benthic coupling. Environmental DNA 00, pp. 1-16. DOI: 10.1002/edn3.403. OPEN ACCESS
- Fabiani, G., Mtonga, C.J., Chauka, L.J., Rumisha, C., Muhando, C.A. (2023). Mitochondrial DNA revealed a single stock structure of the Spotted sardinella Amblygaster sirm (Walbaum, 1792) (Teleostei; Clupeidae) in Tanzanian coastal waters. Marine Biodiversity 53(3), DOI: 10.1007/s12526-023-01351-2.
- Coulmance-Gayrard, F., Akkaynak, D., Le Poul, Y., Höppner, M.P., McMillan, W.O., Puebla, O. (2023). Phenotypic and genomic dissection of colour pattern variation in a reef fish radiation. Molecular Ecology, DOI: 10.1111/mec.17047.
- Mgeleka, S.S., Silas, M.O., Mtonga, C.J., Rumisha, C., Viinamäki, E., Polte, P., Sköld, M., Winder, M., Gullström, M. (2023). Population genetics of the hound needlefish Tylosurus crocodilus (Belonidae) indicate high connectivity in Tanzanian coastal waters. . Marine Biology Research 19(4-5), pp. 261-270. DOI: 10.1080/17451000.2023.2224026. OPEN ACCESS
- Mahajan, S., Estradivari, Ojwang, L., Ahmadia, G. (2022, online first). The good, the bad, and the ugly: reflections on co-designing science for impact between the Global South and Global North. ICES Journal of Marine Science, DOI: 10.1093/icesjms/fsac115.
- Estradivari, Agung, M.F., Adhuri, D.S., Ferse, S.C.A., Sualia, I., Andradi-Brown, D.A., Campbell, S.J., Iqbal, M., Jonas, H.D., Lazuardi, M.E., Nanlohy, H., Pakiding, F., Pusparini, N.K.S., Ramadhana, H.C., Ruchimat, T., Santiadji, I.W.V., Timisela, N.R., Veverka, L., Ahmadia, G.N. (2022). Marine conservation beyond MPAs: Towards the recognition of other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) in Indonesia. Marine Policy 137, pp. 104939. DOI: 10.1016/j.marpol.2021.104939. OPEN ACCESS
- Estradivari, Andradi-Brown, D.A., Amkieltiela, H., Christian N., Sjahruddin, F.F., Agung, M.F., Campbell, S.J., Claborn, K., De Nardo, M., Fox, H.E., Glew, L., Hakim, A., Lazuardi, M.E., Nanlohy, H., Sanjaya, W., Setyawan, E., Timisela, N.R., Veverka, L., Wiwardhana, N.W., Welly, M., Zainudin, I.M., Ahmadia, G.N. (2022). Marine conservation in the Sunda Banda Seascape, Indonesia. Marine Policy 138, pp. 104994. DOI: 10.1016/j.marpol.2022.104994.
- Hench, K., Helmkampf, M., McMillan, O.W., Puebla, O. (2022). Rapid radiation in a highly diverse marine environment. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 119(4), pp. e2020457119. OPEN ACCESS
- Puebla, O., Coulmance-Gayrard, F., Estapé, C.J., Estapé Morgan, A., Robertson, D.R. (2022). A review of 263 years of taxonomic research on Hypoplectrus (Perciformes: Serranidae), with a redescription of Hypoplectrus affinis (Poey, 1861). Zootaxa(2), pp. 101-141. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5093.2.1. OPEN ACCESS
- Amkieltiela, C.N.H., Andradi-Brown, D.A., Estradivari, Ford, A.K., Beger, M., Hakim, A., Muenzel, D.K., Carter, E., Agung, F., Veverka, L., Iqbal, M., Lazuardi, M.E., Fauzi, M.N., Tranter, S.N., Ahmadia, G.N. (2022). The rapid expansion of Indonesia’s marine protected area requires improvement in management effectiveness. Marine Policy 146, pp. 105257. DOI: 10.1016/j.marpol.2022.105257.
- Claudet, J., Ban, N.C., Blythe, J., Briggs, J., Darling, E., Gurney, G.G., Palardy, J.E., Pike, E.P., Agostini, V.N., Ahmadia, G.N., Campbell, S.J., Epstein, G., Estradivari, Gill, D., Himes-Cornell, A., Jonas, H.D., Jupiter, S.D., Mangubhai, S., Morgan, L. (2022). Avoiding the misuse of other effective area-based conservation measures in the wake of the blue economy. One Earth 5(9), pp. 969-974. DOI: 10.1016/j.oneear.2022.08.010.
- Fidler, R.Y., Ahmadia, G.N., Amkieltiela, Awaludinnoer, Cox, C., Estradivari, Glew, L., Handayani, C., Mahajan, S.L., Mascia, M.B., Pakiding, F., Andradi-Brown, D.A., Campbell, S.J., Claborn, K., De Nardo, M., Fox, H.E., Gill, D., Hidayat, N.I., Jakub, R., Le, Duong T., Purwanto, V.A, Harborne, A.R. (2022). Participation, not penalties: Community involvement and equitable governance contribute to more effective multiuse protected areas. Science Advances 8(18), DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abl8929. OPEN ACCESS
- Tranter, S.N., Estradivari, Ahmadia, G.N., Andradi-Brown, D.A., Muenzel, D., Agung, F., Amkieltiela, Ford, A.K., Habibi, A., Handayani, C.N., Iqbal, M., Krueck, N.C., Lazuardi, M.E., Muawanah, U., Papilaya, R.L., Razak, T.B., Sapari, A., Sjahruddin, F.F., Veverka, L., Yusri, S., Beger, M. (2022). The inclusion of fisheries and tourism in marine protected areas to support conservation in Indonesia. Marine Policy 146, pp. 105301. DOI: 10.1016/j.marpol.2022.105301.
- Benestan, L., Loiseau, N., Guérin, P.‐E., Pérez‐Ruzafa, A., Forcada Aitor, E.A., Lenfant, P., Mallol, S., Goñi, R., Velez, L., Mouillot, D., Puebla, O., Manel, S. (2022). Contrasting influence of seascape, space and marine reserves on genomic variation in multiple species. Ecography, pp. e06127. DOI: 10.1111/ecog.06127. OPEN ACCESS
- Mtonga, C.J., Jiddawi, N., Benjamen, D. (2022). Recent rise in exploitation of Tanzanian octopuses: a policy and management challenge. https://www.ajol.info/index.php/wiojms/article/view/215391. Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science 1/2022, pp. 107-118. DOI: 10.4314/wiojms.si2022.1.8. OPEN ACCESS
- de Jonge, D.S.W., Merten, V., Bayer, T., Puebla, O., Reusch, T.B.H., Hoving, H.-J.T. (2021). A novel metabarcoding primer pair for environmental DNA analysis of Cephalopoda (Mollusca) targeting the nuclear 18S rRNA region. Royal Society Open Science 8(2), pp. 1-16. DOI: 10.1098/rsos.201388. OPEN ACCESS
- Benestan, L., Fietz, K., Loiseau, N., Guerin, P.E., Trofimenko, E., Rühs, S., Schmidt, C., Rath, W., Biastoch, A., Perez-Ruzafa, A., Baixauli, P., Forcada, A., Arcas, E., Lenfant, P., Mallol, S., Goñi, R., Velez, L., Höppner, M., Kininmonth, S., Mouillot, D., Puebla, O., Manel, S. (2021). Restricted dispersal in a sea of gene flow. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 288(1951), pp. 20210458. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0458.
- Marcos, C., Díaz, D., Fietz, K., Forcada, A., Ford, A., García-Charton, J.-A., Goñi, R., Lenfant, P., Mallol, S., Mouillot, D., Pérez-Marcos, M., Puebla, O., Manel, S., Pérez-R.A. (2021). Reviewing the Ecosystem Services, Societal Goods, and Benefits of Marine Protected Areas. Frontiers in Marine Science 8, pp. 613819. DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2021.613819. OPEN ACCESS
- Girard, E.B., Estradivari, Ferse, S., Ambo-Rappe, R., Jompa, J., Renema, W. (2021). Dynamics of large benthic foraminiferal assemblages: A tool to foreshadow reef degradation?. Science of The Total Environment, pp. 151396. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151396. OPEN ACCESS
- Ahmadia, G.N., Cheng, S.H., Andradi-Brown, D.A., Baez, S.K., Barnes, M.D., Bennett, N.J, Campbell, S.J., Darling, E.S., Estradivari, Gill, D., Gress, E., Gurney, G.G., Horigue, V., Jakub, R., Kennedy, E., Mahajan, S.L., Mangubhai, S., Matsuda, S.B., Muthiga, N.A., Navarro, M.O., Santodomingo, N., Vallès, H, Veverka, L., Villagomez, A., Wenger, A.S., Wosu, A. (2021). Limited Progress in Improving Gender and Geographic Representation in Coral Reef Science. Frontiers in Marine Science 8, pp. 731037. DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2021.731037. OPEN ACCESS
- Gurney, G.G., Darling, E.S., Ahmadia, G.N., Agostini, V.N., Ban, N.C., Blythe, J., Claudet, J., Epstein, G., Estradivari, Himes-Cornell, A., Jonas, H.D., Armitage, D., Campbell, S.J., Cox, C., Friedman, W.R., Gill, D., Lestari, P., Mangubhai, S., McLeod, E., Muthiga, N.A., Naggea, J., Ranaivoson, R., Wenger, A., Yulianto, I., Jupiter, S.D. (2021). Biodiversity needs every tool in the box: use OECMs. Nature 595(7869), pp. 646-649. DOI: 10.1038/d41586-021-02041-4. OPEN ACCESS
- Merten, V., Bayer, T., Reusch, T.B.H., Puebla, O., Fuss, J., Stefanschitz, J., Lischka, A., Hauss, H., Neitzel, P., Piatkowski, U., Czudaj, S., Christiansen, B., Denda, A., Hoving, H.-J.T. (2021). An Integrative Assessment Combining Deep-Sea Net Sampling, in situ Observations and Environmental DNA Analysis Identifies Cabo Verde as a Cephalopod Biodiversity Hotspot in the Atlantic Ocean. Frontiers in Marine Science(8), DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2021.760108. OPEN ACCESS
- Fietz, K., Trofimenko, E., Guerin, P.-E., Arnal, V., Torres-Oliva, M., Lobréaux, S., Pérez-Ruzafa, A., Manel, S., Puebla, O. (2020). New genomic resources for three exploited Mediterranean fishes. Genomics 112(6), pp. 4297-4303. DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2020.06.041.