WHAT DO WE DO ?

The Scherz Lab has two key focus areas:

Miniaturisation: We are focused on answering the big questions that surround the evolution of extreme miniaturisation in vertebrates, its causes and consequences of miniaturisation. By taking a holistic approach to study all aspects related to miniaturisation, from how it affects physiology, to its macroevolutionary outcomes, we aim to understand how it shapes life on earth.

Museomics: We are innovating and applying methods in the realm of museomics—sequencing DNA from museum specimens that were preserved or stored under sub-optimal conditions. We integrate this work into our extensive systematic and taxonomic work.

The Scherz Lab is currently funded by a Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft research grant in the TAXON-OMICS priority programme, an ERC Starting Grant, and various smaller funding bodies. 

The group is diffuse: it is centred with Mark at the Natural History Museum of Denmark, but some group members are currently at the University of Potsdam in Germany, and Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Gardens, China. 

CURRENT PROJECTS

  • Comparative and reference genomics: We are currently involved in the production of genomes of several frogs and squamates, mostly from Madagascar, with a strong network of collaborators. Several group members are members of the Amphibian Genomics Consortium. The ERC Starting Grant project GEMINI starting in January 2025 will make comparative genomics the primary focus of the group.
  • Museomics: Funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, we are currently developing a new approach applying hierarchical hybrid targeted enrichment to museum specimens. We are using museomics for both taxonomic and phylogenomic projects.
  • Phylogenetics and phylogenomics: We are working to produce highly resolved phylogenies of various groups of interest, including chameleons, microhylid frogs, and mantellid frogs.
  • Taxonomy and systematics: We are constantly undertaking taxonomic revisions of Malagasy reptiles and amphibians. We work especially on cophyline microhylid and mantellid frogs. We are also now getting more involved in East African frogs, with one student working on the taxonomy of Nectophrynoides live-bearing toads.
  • Natural history: Based on field observations, we study and publish on bioacoustics, behaviour, and distribution of species.
  • Locomotion: We are currently seeking funding to study the locomotion of miniaturised frogs, in order to understand how miniaturisation affects this key behavioural trait.
  • Macroevoultion: We study trait evolution using phylogenetic comparative methods across major clades, both relating to miniaturisation and to other topics. Key taxa that we have looked at include chameleons, agamid lizards, cophyline microhylid frogs, and cichlid fishes.

The Scherz Lab

Group Members

PI

Dr rer. nat. Mark D. Scherz – Curator of Herpetology & Tenure-Track Assistant Professor of Vertebrate Zoology

Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen

I am an evolutionary biologist interested in macroevolution, convergent evolution, bio- and phylogeography, speciation, and systematics. My work explores the origins of diversity and the repeated emergence of extreme phenotypes, especially miniaturisation. For more information, check out my About page.

Postdoc

Dr Alice Petzold, PhD – Postdoc (since 2021)

University of Potsdam

I am a Postdoctoral Researcher in the AG Hofreiter at Potsdam University interested in animal taxonomy, phylogenetics, phylogeography, speciation, evolution and conservation. My particular expertise lies in the molecular analysis of past biodiversity using samples gathered from museum specimens. Given the highly degraded nature of these samples, I am using different ancient DNA approaches to isolate DNA for further genetic analyses including data from contemporary conspecifics.

My current project focuses on cophyline frogs, a diverse clade endemic to Madagascar that suffered a substantial underestimation in species diversity in the past. My aim is thus to resolve cophyline taxonomy whilst accounting for all yet undescribed species using a newly established type-specimen explicit protocol for integrative species delimitation, including morphological, osteological and molecular data from modern and museum specimens.

PhD student

Ade Prasetyo Agung – PhD candidate (since 2022)

Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

I am a PhD student in Biodiversity Research Group, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China. I am interested in herpetofauna ecology, evolution, phylogenetics, bio- and phylogeography, speciation, and systematics.

Currently I am working on an overlooked gekkonid lizard genus Hemiphyllodactylus, mainly from fragmented ecosystem such as karstic landscapes in Southern China and Southeast Asia. I will be co-supervised by Mark in investigating cryptic diversity and expansion history of the gecko, and discussing conservation issues related to its high degree of endemicity.

Ade is co-supervised by Dr Wen-Bin Yu of XTBG, CAS, China.

Master’s students

Kajsa Sofia Reinholdt Lundkvist – Master's Student (2024–2025)

University of Copenhagen

I am a master's student at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. I have a wide interest in all of zoology, but especially within the area of herpetology. Previously, I have worked on behavioural studies of plain zebras, pathogenic fungi on termites, and a wide range of other animal groups. Now, I seek to further explore amphibians. My thesis will focus on the morphology, taxonomy, and evolution of species within the genus Anodonthyla of Madagascar.

Joakim Matthiesen – Master's Student (2024–2025)

University of Copenhagen

I am a master's student at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. My interests range widely within evolutionary ecology and the diversity of life. Particularly, I find tropical ecosystems and speciation processes fascinating. Besides my academic interests, I am also a very keen birder, traveling within Denmark and around the world to experience the beauty of avian diversity. Additionally, I work voluntarily with bird banding. During my thesis, I will be working with the Platypelis grandis species complex of frogs from Madagascar, aiming to clarify taxonomic problems using both morphological and genetic methods.

Bachelor’s students

Christian Thrane – Bachelor's Student (2023–2025)

University of Copenhagen

I am a bachelor student at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. My main interest lies within Herpetology, and specifically evolutionary biology, phylogenetics, allopatric and parapatric speciation. I am working at the Natural History Museum of Denmark as a Student Assistant, where I am also volunteering with Mark, registering material from the collection. My projects are focusing on the toad genus Nectophrynoides.

Desiree Schumann – Bachelor's Student (2022–2024)

University of Potsdam

I am an undergraduate student in the AG Hofreiter at the University of Potsdam. I am currently working on the morphometrics of cophyline frogs (an endemic subfamily on Madagascar). I am generally interested in phylogeny, bioinformatics and palaeogenomics, especially the morphological and osteological aspects of animals.

Alumni

Clara Keusgen – Bachelor's Student (2022–2023)

University of Potsdam

Clara completed her Bachelor project (co-supervised by Prof. Michael Hofreiter, University of Potsdam) on frogs of the genus Anodonthyla in early 2023. She is currently a Master's student at the University of Potsdam. We are continuing to work on a manuscript arising from her work.

Joris Fleck – Erasmus+ Bachelor's Student (2022–2023)

University of Leipzig

Joris completed his Erasmus+ Bachelor's project (co-supervised by Prof. Sebastian Steinfartz, University of Leipzig) on frogs in the genus Stumpffia in 2022. He is currently master's student at the Ludwig-Maximilians Universität, Munich. We are continuing to work on a manuscript arising from his work.

Martina Badia Cardet – Erasmus+ Bachelor's Student (2023)

University of Barcelona

Martina completed her Bachelor thesis on the ecomorphological evolution of agamid lizards, taking into account their habitats and structural niches, focussed especially on their locomotion, and thus mainly on their limbs. 

Collin Bos – Erasmus+ Master's Student (2022–2023)

Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich

Collin completed his Master's thesis for the Evolution, Ecology, and Systematics programme at the LMU. His thesis was on mitochondrial genome evolution in cophyline microhylid frogs. We are continuing to work on a manuscript arising from his work. 

Jonathan Rask Licht – Bachelor's Student (2024)

University of Copenhagen

Jonathan completed his Bachelor's thesis on anatomical network analysis of cophyline microhylid frog skulls, co-supervised by Christy Hipsley of Copenhagen University's Biology department. We are exploring options to develop a manuscript from this work. 

Alberte Nicoline Pilemand – Bachelor's Student (2024)

University of Copenhagen

Alberte completed her Bachelor's thesis on the amphibian collections of the Noona Dan expedition to the West Pacific (Philippines, New Guinea, Solomon Islands) from 1960–1962. We are continuing to work on a manuscript arising from her work. 

Arvid Steen Nielsen Duekilde – Master's Student: Project in Practice (2024)

University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen Zoo

Arvid completed his Project in Practice on mortality in a breeding population of Bombina bombina at Copenhagen Zoo.