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Dr. Markus Koch

Senior Researcher

Research Focus

  • Biodiversity and evolutionary phenomics of soil arthropods
  • Origin and early evolution of insects (Hexapoda)
  • Systematics and integrative taxonomy of apterygote hexapods (focus: Diplura, Zygentoma)
  • Phylogeny of myriapods
  • Morphogenesis of arthropods (focus: organogenesis, evolution of the mesoderm)
  • Anatomical ontologies and information technology (BIOfid, Specialized Information Service for Biodiversity Research)

Teaching

Bachelor-Programme Biology

  • BIO-02 Morphologie und Evolution der Tiere
  • BIO-07 Zoologische Bestimmungsübungen
  • WBIO-C-04 Biodiversität und Phylogenie der Metazoa

International Master-Programme "Organismic Biology, Evolutionary Biology and Palaeobiology" (OEP Biology)

  • OEP-M1 Biodiversity & Evolution
  • OEP-M2 Fundamentals of Evolutionary Biology
  • OEP-A07 Histology, tomography, and computer-aided 3D-reconstruction of animal anatomy
  • OEP-A08 Morphological character analysis in phylogenetics
  • OEP-A11 Practical course on electron microscopy

Scientific Career

since Oct 2020
 Senior Researcher, Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, University of Bonn
 Sept-Dez 2018 Visiting Professor, University of Córdoba (Spain)

 2017-2020

Research Associate

  • Senckenberg Society for Nature Research, Leibniz Institution for Biodiversity and Earth System Research
  • Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, University of Bonn
2014-2017 Akademischer Rat auf Zeit, Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, University of Bonn

 2011-2014

Interim Professor for Systematics and Biodiversity of Insects, Biocentre Grindel and Zoological Museum, University of Hamburg
2009-2011 Akademischer Rat auf Zeit, Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, University of Bonn
2002-2008

Assistant Professor, Institute of Biology, Dept. Animal Systematics and Evolution, Freie Universität Berlin
2000-2002 Postdoc, Faculty of Biology, Dept. Zoomorphology & Systematics, University of Bielefeld
1996-2000 Ph.D. student (Zoological Systematics), University of Hamburg
1989-1995 Diploma student (Biology), University of Hamburg

 

Selected Publications

Full list of publications on ORCID.

Information technology

  • Girón, J.C., Tarasov, S., González Montana, L.A., Matentzoglu, N., Smith, A.D., Koch, M. et al. (2022) Formalizing insect morphological data: a model-based, extensible insect anatomy ontology and its potential applications in biodiversity research and informatics. Preprints 2022, 2022010254 (doi: 10.20944/preprints202201.0254.v1)
  • González-Montaña, L.A. & Koch, M. (2021) Lepidoptera Anatomy Ontology (LepAO) (Version v2021-11-20). GitHub repository, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.4780615.
  • Driller, C., Koch, M., Abrami, G., Hemati, W., Lücking, A., Mehler, A., Pachzelt, A. & Kasperek, G. (2020) Fast and easy access to Central European biodiversity data with BIOfid. Biodiversity Information Science and Standards 4: e59157.
  • Koch, M., Driller, C., Schmidt, M., Hörnschemeyer, T., Weiland, C., Miko, I., Yoder, M. & Hickler, T. (2018) Current progress in the development of taxonomic and anatomical ontologies within the scope of BIOfid. – Biodiversity Information Science and Standards 2: e25585.
  • Driller, C., Koch, M., Schmidt, M., Weiland, C., Hörnschemeyer, T., Hickler, T., Abrami, G., Ahmed, S., Gleim, R., Hemati, W., Uslu, T., Mehler, A., Pachzelt, A., Rexhepi, J., Risse, T., Schuster, J., Kasperek, G. & Hausinger, A. (2018) Workflow and current achievements of BIOfid, an information service mobilizing biodiversity data from literature sources. – Biodiversity Information Science and Standards 2: e25876.
  • Koch, M., Kasperek, G., Hörnschemeyer, T., Mehler, A., Weiland, C. & Hausinger, A. (2017): Setup of BIOfid, a new Specialised Information Service for Biodiversity Research. – Biodiversity Information Science and Standards 1: e19803.

Evolution of Myriapods

  • Edgecombe, G.D., Strullu-Derrien, C., Hetherington, A.J., Goral, T. & Koch, M. (2020) Aquatic stem group myriapods close a gap between molecular divergence dates and the terrestrial fossil record. PNAS 117 (16): 8966-8972.
  • Moritz, L. & Koch, M. (2020) No Tömösváry organ in flat backed millipedes (Diplopoda: Polydesmida). ZooKeys 930 (Special Issue "Proceedings of the 18th International Congress of Myriapodology, 25‒31 August 2019, Budapest, Hungary"): 103-115.
  • Moritz, L., Wesener, T. & Koch, M. (2018): An apparently non-swinging tentorium in the Diplopoda (Myriapoda): Comparative morphology of the tentorial complex in giant pill-millipedes (Sphaerotheriida). - Zookeys 741: 77-91.
  • Koch, M. (2015): Diplopoda – General Morphology. – In: A. Minelli (ed.), Treatise on Zoology – Anatomy, Taxonomy, Biology. The Myriapoda, Volume 2, Chapter 2, pp. 7-67. Brill, Leiden.
  • Koch, M. (2015): Diplopoda – Skeletomuscular System and Locomotion. – In: A. Minelli (ed.), Treatise on Zoology – Anatomy, Taxonomy, Biology. The Myriapoda, Volume 2, Chapter 4, pp. 101-107. Brill, Leiden.
  • Koch, M., Schultz, J. & Edgecombe, G.D. (2015): Tentorial mobility in centipedes (Chilopoda) revisited: 3D reconstruction of the mandibulo-tentorial musculature of Geophilomorpha. – Zookeys 510: 243-267.
  • Koch, M. & Edgecombe, G.D. (2012): The preoral chamber in geophilomorph centipedes: comparative morphology, phylogeny and the evolution of centipede feeding structures. – Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 165: 1-62.
  • Koch, M., Edgecombe, G.D. & Shelley, R. M. (2010): Anatomy of Ectonocryptoides (Scolopocryptopidae: Ectonocryptopinae) and the phylogeny of blind Scolopendromorpha (Chilopoda). – International Journal of Myriapodology 3: 51-81.
  • Koch, M., Pärschke, S. & Edgecombe, G.D. (2009): Phylogenetic implications of gizzard morphology in scolopendromorph centipedes (Chilopoda). – Zoologica Scripta 38: 269–288.

Evolution of the Mesoderm

  • Koch, M., Quast, B. & Bartolomaeus, T. (2014): Coeloms and nephridia in annelids and arthropods. – In: Waegele, W. & Bartolomaeus, T. (eds.), Deep Metazoan Phylogeny: The Backbone of the Tree of Life. New insights from analyses of molecules, morphology, and theory of data analysis. Chapter 11, pp. 173-284. DeGruyter.

Evolution of Insects (Hexapoda)

  • Koch, M. (2016): Current views on the early evolution of the insect head revisited. – Zitteliana 88: 31.
  • Blanke, A., Koch, M., Wipfler, B., Wilde, F. & Misof, B. (2014): Head morphology of Tricholepidion gertschi indicates monophyletic Zygentoma. – Frontiers in Zoology, 11:16.
  • Chen, W.J., Koch, M., Mallat, J.M. & Luan, Y.X. (2014): Comparative analysis of mitochondrial genomes in Diplura (Hexapoda, Arthropoda): taxon sampling is crucial for phylogenetic inferences. - Genome Biology and Evolution, 6(1):105–120.
  • Hörnschemeyer, T., Haug, J., Bethoux, O., Beutel, R.G., Charbonier, S., Hegna, T.H., Koch, M., Rust, J., Wedmann, S., Bradler, S. & Willmann, R. (2013): Is Strudiella a Devonian insect? – Nature 494: E3-E4 (DOI 10.1038/nature11887).
  • Blanke, A., Wipfler, B., Letsch, H., Koch, M., Beckmann, F., Beutel, R.G. & Misof, B. (2012): Revival of Palaeoptera – head characters support a monophyletic origin of Odonata and Ephemeroptera (Insecta). – Cladistics 28: 560-581.
  • Koch, M. (2009): Biodiversity of the two-pronged bristletails (Diplura) in Western Australia as revealed from recent mining projects. – Enviromental Protection Authority Report (Government of Western Australia), Tropicana Gold Project, Supplementary Study 3k.

 

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