Stefan Merker

State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart | SMNS · Department of Zoology

Because of their exceptionally long independent evolution, a range diminution of their Eocene relatives, and a remarkable subsequent diversification in Southeast Asia, tarsiers are of particular importance to evolutionary primatologists. Little is known, however, on the processes shaping the radiation of these small enigmatic primates-especially on...

On the basis of distinguishing characteristics of various genetic markers, pelage color, tail tuft, and vocalizations, we describe a new species of the genus Tarsius Storr 1780. The new taxon Tarsius wallacei sp. nov. occupies a disjunct range in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. The two isolated populations differ significantly in body size, but are al...

Patterns and processes of molecular evolution critically influence inferences in phylogeny and phylogeography. Within primates, a shift in evolutionary rates has been identified as the rationale for contrasting findings from mitochondrial and nuclear DNA studies as to the position of Tarsius. While the latter now seems settled, we sequenced complet...

In this study, we present the first genetic evidence of the phylogenetic position of Tarsius pumilus, the mountain tarsier of Sulawesi, Indonesia. This mysterious primate is the only Eastern tarsier species that occurs exclusively in cloud forests above 1800 m.a.s.l. It exhibits striking morphological peculiarities-most prominently its extremely re...

Noncoding DNA is central to our understanding of human gene regulation and complex diseases1,2, and measuring the evolutionary sequence constraint can establish the functional relevance of putative regulatory elements in the human genome3–9. Identifying the genomic elements that have become constrained specifically in primates has been hampered by...

Adulis, located on the Red Sea coast in present-day Eritrea, was a bustling trading centre between the first and seventh centuries CE. Several classical geographers--Agatharchides of Cnidus, Pliny the Elder, Strabo-noted the value of Adulis to Greco--Roman Egypt, particularly as an emporium for living animals, including baboons ( Papio spp.). Thoug...

Personalized genome sequencing has revealed millions of genetic differences between individuals, but our understanding of their clinical relevance remains largely incomplete. To systematically decipher the effects of human genetic variants, we obtained whole-genome sequencing data for 809 individuals from 233 primate species and identified 4.3 mill...

The rich diversity of morphology and behavior displayed across primate species provides an informative context in which to study the impact of genomic diversity on fundamental biological processes. Analysis of that diversity provides insight into long-standing questions in evolutionary and conservation biology and is urgent given severe threats the...

Personalized genome sequencing has revealed millions of genetic differences between individuals, but our understanding of their clinical relevance remains largely incomplete. To systematically decipher the effects of human genetic variants, we obtained whole genome sequencing data for 809 individuals from 233 primate species, and identified 4.3 mil...

The rich diversity of morphology and behavior displayed across primate species provides an informative context in which to study the impact of genomic diversity on fundamental biological processes. Analysis of that diversity provides insight into long-standing questions in evolutionary and conservation biology, and is urgent given severe threats th...

Natural hybridization provides valuable insights into evolutionary processes, such as speciation and the forces driving or hindering it. Sulawesi tarsiers Tarsius dentatus and T. lariang hybridize within a limited area, suggesting selection against hybrids. Their species- and sex-specific duet songs might serve as a premating barrier in sympatry, e...

29 Adulis, located on the Red Sea coast in present-day Eritrea, was a bustling trading centre 30 between the first and seventh centuries CE. Several classical geographers-Agatharchides 31 of Cnidus, Pliny the Elder, Strabo-noted the value of Adulis to Greco-Roman Egypt, 32 particularly as an emporium for living animals, including baboons (Papio spp...

With the increasing urbanization of the last decades, more and more bird species occur in urban habitats. Birds which thrive in urban habitats often have a higher tolerance toward human disturbance and show behaviors which differ from their rural counterparts. There is increasing evidence that many behaviors have a genetic basis. One candidate gene...

Systematic tool use is a central component of the human niche. However, the timing and mode of its evolution remain poorly understood. A newly developed method for the analysis of muscle recruitment patterns (Validated Entheses-based Reconstruction of Activity-V.E.R.A.) has recently been experimentally shown to provide clear and reliable evidence o...

Supplementary Material Small, odd and old: The mysterious Tarsius pumilus is the most basal Sulawesi tarsier

In the Republic of Guinea (West Africa), the diversity and distribution of striped grass mice of the genus Lemniscomys is poorly known. In the course of long-term field surveys from 2003 to 2011, we collected 97 specimens from various regions of Guinea with the aim of characterizing the morphological and genetic diversity of the genus in the countr...

Various mammals, particularly carnivores, reportedly establish smaller home ranges in urban compared with rural areas. This may be because urban environments provide optimal resources within a small area, negating the requirement to range further, or because habitat fragmentation constrains ranging behavior. Comparable information on urban populati...

The European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) is declining in large parts of Europe but populations in some German cities remained so far unaffected by this decline. The question arises of how urbanization affects patterns of population genetic variation and differentiation in German rabbit populations, as urban habitat fragmentation may result in al...

The high degree of endemism on Sulawesi has previously been suggested to have vicariant origins, dating back to 40 Ma. Recent studies, however, suggest that much of Sulawesi's fauna assembled over the last 15 Myr. Here, we test the hypothesis that more recent uplift of previously submerged portions of land on Sulawesi promoted diversification and t...

For the last decades, the European beaver (Castor fiber) has been recolonizing its original habitats. Reintroductions of beavers from different relict populations into southern Germany have resulted in several admixed populations, which are spreading out along various river systems. The eastern part of the German state of Baden-Württemberg is a mel...

Emerging from the sixteenth century “Cabinet of Arts and Natural Curiosities” of the Dukes of Württemberg, the Stuttgart State Museum of Natural History (SMNS) ranks among the oldest and most prominent natural history museums in Europe. With its collections, libraries, laboratories, and other research facilities, the museum comprises two building c...

The high degree of endemism on Sulawesi has previously been suggested to have vicariant origins, dating back 40 Myr ago. Recent studies, however, suggest that much of Sulawesi’s fauna assembled over the last 15 Myr. Here, we test the hypothesis that recent uplift of previously submerged portions of land on Sulawesi promoted diversification, and tha...

The question whether taxonomic descriptions naming new animal species without type specimen(s) deposited in collections should be accepted for publication by scientific journals and allowed by the Code has already been discussed in Zootaxa (Dubois & Nemésio 2007; Donegan 2008, 2009; Nemésio 2009a–b; Dubois 2009; Gentile & Snell 2009; Minelli 2009;...

PRDM9 is currently the sole speciation gene found in vertebrates causing hybrid sterility probably due to incompatible alleles. Its role in defining the double strand break loci during the meiotic prophase I is crucial for proper chromosome segregation. Therefore, the rapid turnover of the loci determining zinc finger array seems to be causative fo...

Due to its location in the transition zone between Asia and Oceania, its complex geologic history and its long isolation from other major landmasses, the Indonesian island of Sulawesi hosts a high diversity of endemic vertebrates. Among these, the enigmatic, nocturnal tarsiers are known as " old endemics " or " early colonizers " of the island and...

Background: Information transfer in mammalian communication networks is often based on the deposition of excreta in latrines. Depending on the intended receiver(s), latrines are either formed at territorial boundaries (between-group communication) or in core areas of home ranges (within-group communication). The relative importance of both types of...

PRDM9 is currently the sole speciation gene found in vertebrates causing hybrid sterility probably due to incompatible alleles. Its role in defining the double strand break loci during the meiotic prophase I is crucial for proper chromosome segregation. Therefore, the rapid turnover of the loci determining zinc finger array seems to be causative fo...

The Indonesian island of Sulawesi harbors a highly endemic and diverse fauna sparking fascination since long before Wallace's contemplation of biogeographical patterns in the region. Allopatric diversification driven by geological or climatic processes has been identified as the main mechanism shaping present faunal distribution on the island. Ther...

Abstract The search for genetic factors underlying reproductive isolation has attracted increasing scientific attention, and often focusses on genes involved in hybrid sterility. One of these so-called speciation genes is PRDM9 encoding a zinc finger protein that specifies hotspots of meiotic recombination. The PRDM9zinc finger (Znf) domain evolves...

Tarsiers are diverse phylogenetically and behaviorally. Owing to the very short branch between the diversification of Primates and that of Haplorhini, they are essentially a third, nearly-independent, radiation of primates with which to test hypotheses of primate evolution. It has been known for more than thirty years that tarsiers include both gre...

Based on 454 sequencing, we characterized 10 polymorphic tetra- and pentanucleotide microsatellites for population studies of Sulawesi tarsiers. We identified 2516 repeat regions and designed PCR primer pairs for 60 tetra-, penta- and hexanucleotide repeat loci. Of 16 markers tested with dye-labelled primers, 11 proved to be polymorphic and 10 were...

In 1989, the international community listed the African elephant in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) thus prohibiting commercial ivory trade. Recent surveillance data show that the illegal trade in ivory has been growing worldwide. Long-term preservation of many of the African...

Membrane-bound IgE (mIgE) on B lymphocytes is essential for IgE production. Earlier studies showed that the ε chain of mIgE (mε) on human B cells has a "long" isoform, with an extra "CεmX" domain of 52 amino acid (aa) residues between the CH4 domain and the membrane-anchor segment, as compared to the conventional "short" isoform. Because CεmX provi...

Over the past two decades, the previously hotly debated but little studied tarsiers have received increased attention from primatologists. Befitting a growing number of recognized taxa and our greatly improved knowledge on behavioral, ecological, and genetic characteristics of tarsiers, it seems appropriate to summarize what we have learnt so far o...

Horne ranges and estimation of population density of Tarsius bancanus saltator on Belitung lsland - To assess the conservation status of tarsier on Belitung Island, required information on habitat status and population. A study was carried out in Gunung Tajam, Belitung Island, Indonesia to provide to estimate of home range sizes and the population...

Previous sociobiological studies of tarsiers were invariably based on field observations. Sulawesi tarsiers are known for monogamous or facultative polygynous social mating systems, but, to date, no data exist to describe the genetic mating system. We here bring together behavioral studies and molecular tools for the first time to elucidate mating...

A new, critically endangered species of tarsier, one of the world’s 25 most endangered primates, is described from the remote island of Siau, North Sulawesi, based on distinguishing characteristics of the tail tuft, pelage coloration, skull, and vocalizations. Siau is part of the Sangihe Island chain, a volcanic arc composed of islands that rise fr...

This study reports the isolation and characterization of eight microsatellite markers for the study of Philippine tarsiers (Tarsius syrichta), small primates endemic to this Southeast Asian archipelago. The markers were used to screen 14 Tarsius syrichta for allelic diversity. This suite of highly polymorphic microsatellites provides the first chan...

Twenty-six species of ticks are reported from the island of Sulawesi (Celebes), Indonesia. These include two species of soft ticks (Argasidae), Carios batuensis and C. vespertilionis, and the following 24 species of hard ticks (Ixodidae): Amblyomma babirussae, A. breviscutatum, A. cordiferum, A. fimbriatum, A. helvolum, A. testudinarium, A. trimacu...

To investigate the importance of mixed-species plantations as a potential habitat for small arboreal primates, we radio-tracked six Dian's tarsiers (Tarsius dianae) in such an area in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, and explored their selectivity for certain vegetation types. The animals strongly favored sporadic dense shrubbery over more open structu...

The aim of this study was to know the impact of human activities on population density of Tarsius dianae by estimating the relative population density in four habitat types differently influenced by man. The study was conducted in the vicinity of Kamarora, at the northeastern boundary of Lore Lindu National Park, Central Sulawesi. Four different ha...

This study reports the development and characterization of the first 12 microsatellite markers for tarsiers. Nine loci were isolated from Dian's tarsier, Tarsius dianae and three from the Philippine tarsier, Tarsius syrichta. The 12 markers were used to screen 40 individuals of Dian's tarsier and 40 individuals of the Lariang tarsier, Tarsius laria...

Dian's tarsier Tarsius dianae, one of the smallest primates on earth, is endemic to the central regions of Sulawesi, Indonesia. To evaluate the effects of increasing land use by humans on the ranging patterns of this nocturnal insect hunter, four study plots along a gradient of anthropogenic disturbance were selected for this study. In these plots,...

On the basis of morphological, anatomical, and acoustic analyses, the tarsiers of the Gimpu region on Sulawesi belong to a previously undescribed species of the genus Tarsius Storr, 1780. We describe the new taxon as Tarsius lariang new species. In November 2001, S. Merker collected 8 specimens of Tarsius lariang near Gimpu, Central Sulawesi, Indon...

As most of the pristine forests of South-east Asia have been lost, the ability of its animal species to coexist with humans becomes increasingly important. Dian’s tarsier Tarsius dianae, one of the smallest primates, lives in forests of central Sulawesi, Indonesia that are experiencing a dramatic increase in degradation by humans. To evaluate the e...

Sulawesi, one of the largest islands of the Malay Archipelago, provides living space for a unique fauna and flora. The island is characterized by vast numbers of endemic plant and animal species originating from the Australian as well as the Oriental region. The destruction and degradation of rain forest habitats pose serious threats to wildlife ar...

Göttingen, Universiẗat, Diss., 2003. Computerdatei im Fernzugriff.

Despite a growing number of field studies on tarsiers, little is known about their ecology. In particular, information on the possible effects of human intervention in their natural habitat is lacking. Tarsiers can be found in various surroundings, and their preference for secondary forests has been mentioned by several authors [1-4], but except in...