Together with scientists from the University in Kiel (PI: Prof. Olivia Roth) we aim to investigate if and how biotic and abiotic factors influence co-evolutionary trajectories between filamentous phages and bacteria. Specifically, we want to understand (1) how environmental stress influences the interaction between filamentous phages and bacteria on short and long time-scales and (2) how phage-bacteria co-evolution is influenced by the fish microbiome and the eukaryotic immune system. To answer these questions, we perform evolution experiments and serial passage experiments supported by whole genome sequencing and mathematical modelling using bacteria of the genus Vibrio, filamentous vibrio phages and the broad-nosed pipefish as model organisms. 

​​The project is funded through two consecutive research projects funded through the German Science Foundation within the priority program SPP1819 "Rapid evolutionary adaptation: potential and constraints".

Recent publications:
Chibani, C.M., Hertel, R., Neumann-Schaal, M., Goehlich, H., Wagner, K., Bunk, B., Spröer, C., Overmann, J., Hoppert, M., Marten, M., Roth, O., Liesegang H., Wendling C.C.* (2023) „Complete genome sequence of Vibrio syngnathi Sp. Nov., a fish pathogen, isolated from the Kiel Fjord.” IJSEM 73(6) https://doi.org/10.1099/ijsem.0.005951

Goehlich, H., Roth, O., Sieber, M., Chibani, C.M., Rajkov, J., Liesegang, H., Wendling, C.C.* (2023) „Sub-optimal environmental conditions prolong phage epidemics.” Molecular Ecology https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.17050

Wendling, C.C., Lange, J. Liesegang, H., Pöhlein, A. Bunk, B., Raikov, J. Göhlich, H., Roth, O. Brockhurst, M.A. (2021) „High virulence selects for fast host resistance evolution”. biorxiv https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.03.26.437141

Göhlich, H., Sartoris, L., Wagner, K. S., Wendling, C.C., Roth, O. (2021) “Pipefish locally adapted to low salinity in the Baltic Sea retain phenotypic plasticity to cope with ancestral salinity levels.” Front. Ecol. Evol
https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.626442

Chibani, C.M., Hertel, R., Hoppert, M., Liesegang, H., Wendling, C.C. (2020) „Closely related Vibrio alginolyticus strains encode an identical repertoire of prophages and filamentous phages”. Viruses 12(12):1359
https://doi.org/10.3390/v12121359

Chibani, C.M., Roth, O., Liesegang, H. Wendling, C.C. (2020). “Genomic Variation among closely related Vibrio alginolyticus strains is located on mobile genetic elements”. BMC Genomics 21(235), https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-020-6735-5


Goehlich, H., Roth, O., Wendling, C.C. (2019) “Filamentous phages reduce bacterial growth in low salinities.” Royal Society Open Science 6 (12), 191669 https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.191669

Wendling, C.C., Goehlich, H., Roth, O. (2018) „The structure of temperate phage-bacteria infection networks changes with the phylogenetic distance of the host bacteria”. Biology Letters 14 (11) https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2018.0320


Wendling, C.C., Piecyk, A., Refardt, D., Chibani, C.M., Hertel, R., Liesegang, H. Bunk, B., Overmann, J., Roth, O. (2017): "Tripartite species interaction: Eukaryotic hosts suffer more from phage susceptible than from phage resistant bacteria". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 17:98. doi: 10.1186/s12862-017-0930-2 https://bmcevolbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12862-017-0930-2