Wissenschaftlicher Werdegang

12/2023 – Present    Postdoctoral Researcher at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel; Deep-Sea Biology, Supervisors: Dr. Henk-Jan Hoving, Dr. Fleur Visser 

10/2021 – 11/2022     Postdoctoral Researcher at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel; Deep-Sea Biology, Supervisors: Dr. Henk-Jan Hoving, Dr. Fleur Visser

01/2018 – 05/2022     PhD candidate at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel and in affiliation with the graduate school ISOS, Deep-Sea Biology, Supervisor: Dr. Henk-Jan Hoving

07/2017 – 12/2017      Research assistant at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Marine Speciation, Supervisor: Prof. Oscar Puebla

02/2017 – 06/2017      Research assistant at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Parental Investment and Immune Dynamics, Supervisor: Dr. Olivia Roth

10/2014 – 01/2017     M. Sc. Biological Oceanography, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Deep-Sea Biology, Supervisor: Dr. Henk-Jan Hoving, Prof. Oscar Pubela

10/2011 – 07/2014     B. Sc. Biology, University of Hamburg, Germany; Supervisor: Dr. Kerstin Dähnke
 

Publikationen

Schmittmann L, Schindler SV, Bayer T, Havermanns C, Merten V, Hoving HJT (2024) The sinking dead– Arctic deep-sea scavengers' Diet suggests Nekton as Vector in Benthopelagic coupling, Environmental DNA, 6: e70020. doi.org/10.1002/edn3.70020

Merten V, Puebla O, Bayer T, Reusch TBH, Fuss J, Stefanschitz J, Metfies K, Stauffer JB, Hoving HJT (2023) Arctic nekton uncovered by eDNA metabarcoding: diversity, potential range expansions and pelagic-benthic coupling, Environmental DNA, 00, 1– 16. doi.org/10.1002/edn3.403

Merten V, Bayer T, Reusch TB, Puebla O, Fuss J, Stefanschitz J, Lischka A, Hauss H, Neitzel P, Piatkowski U, Czudaj S, Christiansen B, Denda A, Hoving HJT (2021) An integrative assessment combining deep-sea net sampling, in situ observations and eDNA analysis identifies Cabo Verde as a cephalopod biodiversity hotspot in the Atlantic Ocean, Frontiers in Marine Science 8: 760108

Visser F, Merten VJ, Bayer T, Oudejans MG, de Jonge DSW, Puebla O, Reusch TBH, Fuss J, Hoving HJT (2021) Deep-sea predator niche segregation revealed by combined cetacean biologging and eDNA analysis of cephalopod prey, Science Advances 7 : eabf5908. Shared first authorship with Fleur Visser

Stenvers VI, Hauss H, Osborn KJ, Neitzel P, Merten V, Scheer S, Robison BH, Freitas R, Hoving HJT (2021) Distribution, associations and role in the biological carbon pump of Pyrosoma atlanticum (Tunicata, Thaliacea) off Cabo Verde, NE Atlantic (2021), Scientific Reports

De Jonge DSW, Merten V, Bayer T, Puebla O, Reusch TBH, Hoving HJ (2021) A novel metabarcoding primer pair for environmental DNA analysis of Cephalopoda (Mollusca) targeting the nuclear 18S rRNA region, Royal Society Open Science 8: 201388

Merten V, Christiansen B, Javidpour J, Piatkowski U, Puebla O, Hoving HJT (2017) Trophic ecology of the orangeback squid Sthenoteuthis pteropus (Steenstrup) in the eastern tropical Atlantic, PlosOne.

Jakob J, Nowka B, Merten V, Sanders T, Spieck E, Dähnke K (2017) Oxidation kinetics and inverse isotope effect of marine nitrite-oxidizing bacteria, Aquatic Microbial Ecology: 80 (3).

Lischka A, Lacoue-Labarthe T, Hoving HJT, Merten V, Bustamante P (2018) Elevated Cadmium levels from flying squids in the Eastern Tropical Atlantic, Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 163: 323-330.
 

Expeditionen

As Chief Scientist:

2024 RV Meteor (M202), Azores, Portugal, “Interactions Between cetacean predators and cephalopod prey in the Atlantic Ocean” (GEOMAR). Instrument deployments: towed and CTD-mounted camera systems, eDNA water collection with CTD rosette, acoustic moorings, echosounder, ADCP, pelagic trawls, onboard experiments

2022 RV Alkor, Baltic Sea, testing of a pelagic trawl

As Participant:

2021 RV Polarstern (PS126), FRAM Strait, Arctic Ocean, FRAMJELLY “Gelatinous zooplankton in the gateway to the Arctic: Advanced methods to study their diversity, distribution, and role in the Fram Strait food web” tasks: CTD and Sediment-Multicorer sampling and collection of cephalopod and fish eDNA samples, collection of amphipods for experiments. Chief Scientist: Dr. Thomas Soltwedel (AWI, Germany)

2020 RV Maria S. Merian (MSM95), FRAM Strait, Arctic Ocean; “Investigating Arctic seafloor integrity” tasks: CTD sampling and cephalopod and fish eDNA collection, deployment, and operation of a towed camera system. Chief Scientist: Dr. Autun Puster (AWI, Germany)

2019 RV Polarstern (PS121), FRAM Strait, Arctic Ocean; “CARCASS investigating the role of plankton and nekton in the biological carbon pump” tasks: deep-sea landers, towed camera system, Multinet, Sediment-Multicorer, CTD and cephalopod and fish eDNA collection. Chief Scientist: Dr. K Metfies (AWI, Germany)

2018 RV Pelagia: (64PE441 - NICO leg 12), Azores, North Atlantic; “Documentation, characterization and quantification of prey layers targeted by cetacean species” tasks: net sampling, CTD and cephalopod eDNA collection. Chief Scientist: Dr. Fleur Visser (Leiden University, Netherlands)

2018 RV Poseidon: (POS520), Cabo Verde, North Atlantic; “Biological baseline studies in the pelagic deep seas of Cabo Verde” tasks: PELAGIOS, Multinet, CTD and cephalopod eDNA collection. Chief Scientist: Dr. Henk-Jan Hoving (GEOMAR, Germany)

2017 RV Celtic Explorer (GO-SHIP A02), North Atlantic tasks: measurement of Chlorofluorocarbons. Chief Scientist: Prof. Peter Croot (NUI Galway, Ireland)

2015 RV Maria S. Merian (MSM49), Cabo Verde, North Atlantic tasks: cephalopod identification from net samples, leading the collection of squids via jigging. Chief Scientist: Dr. Bernd Christiansen (University Hamburg, Germany)

Auswahl Konferenzen

2024* MUSE One Day Workshop, Hamburg, Germany;oral presentation: “MUSE environmental DNA Action Group”

2022* Ocean Health Network Retreat, Kiel, Germany; oral presentation: “Using environmental DNA to monitor Ocean Health”

2022 Cephalopod International Advisory Council (CIAC), Sesimbra, Portugal (hybrid event); oral presentation: “Cephalopod distribution and diversity of Macaronesia”

2022 Ocean Sciences Meeting (Online); oral presentation: “Arctic nekton diversity and distribution identified with environmental DNA metabarcoding”

2021 Deep-Sea Biology Symposium, Brest, France oral presentation: “Environmental DNA metabarcoding to uncover patterns of diversity and distribution in deep-sea cephalopods”

2020 Ocean Sciences Meeting, San Diego, California; Poster: “Use of environmental DNA metabarcoding to trace deep-sea cephalopods”

2018 Cephalopod International Advisory Council, St. Petersburg, Florida; Poster: “Assessment of cephalopod biodiversity and distribution around the Cape Verde archipelago using environmental DNA”

2018 ICES Annual Science Conference 2018, Hamburg, Germany Poster: “Assessment of cephalopod biodiversity and distribution around the Cape Verde archipelago using environmental DNA”

*Invited Speaker

Auswahl Wissenschaftskommunikation

Coordination of Blog on research cruise M202

Press release (2024) on cruise M202: “Diving deeper for richer prey?” 

Press release (2023) on GEOMAR-Grant Postdoc Activities 2022 “Searching for genetic traces in the Baltic Sea”

Merten V., Visser F., Hoving H.J.T., (2023) Deep-sea predator-prey dynamics revealed by biologging and eDNA analysis; In Frontiers in Ocean Observing: Emerging Technologies for Understanding and Managing a Changing Ocean. E.S. Kappel, V. Cullen, M.J. Costello, L. Galgani, C. Gordó-Vilaseca, A. Govindarajan, S. Kouhi, C. Lavin, L. McCartin, J.D. Müller, B. Pirenne, T. Tanhua, Q. Zhao, and S. Zhao, eds, Oceanography 36(Supplement 1): 96–99, doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2023.s1.31.

Radiowissen Bayern2 (2022) 22-minütiges Hörfunk-Interview und Podcast über die Tiefsee, Editor Susi Weichselbaumer

Merten V. (2020) Tintenfische der Tiefsee. Senckenberg Museumsbuch Tiefsee – Vielfalt in der Dunkelheit; Editor Mosbrugger V, p. 96-99.