Aline Finger's Homepage
Email: a.finger@rbge.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0) 131 248 2856
Fax: +44 (0) 131 248 2856
Background
My research focus is largely on molecular ecology and conservation biology of threatened species. After working on European butterfly species during my Diploma thesis (University of Trier), I skipped to the fascinating world of trees for my PhD (ETH Zuerich) and tested the influence of recent habitat fragmentation on three endangered tree species in the Seychelles. During both, my Diploma thesis but particularly my PhD research, I have focused on conservation genetics and combined both ecological and genetic approaches which I think are fundamental to develop appropriate conservation strategies for endangered species. As genetic and ecological factors influencing small populations still are my major interests, I am currently working as a post-doctoral fellowship on New Caledonian Araucaria species at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh
Research Interests
- Conservation and ecological genetics
- Effects of landscape fragmentation on species and populations
- Inbreeding and outbreeding effects in small populations
- Restoration ecology
- Pollination ecology
Curriculum vitae
Since 2012 Swiss National Science Foundation funded post-doctoral fellow within the Genetics and Conservation Section of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh working on New Caledonia Araucaria species
2008 – 2011 PhD student at ETH Zuerich within the group of Ecosystem Management; title of thesis: “Ecological and genetic processes underlying Allee effects among tree populations in the context of divergent population histories”
2007 Participation in the project “Natural history of butterflies” at the Musée National d´histoire Naturelle in Luxemburg
2006 – 2007 MSc thesis: “Conservation genetics of Lycaena helle, High genetic diversity and differentiation of an endangered boreal relict species in Central Europe”
2003 Internship at School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
1999 – 2007 Studies of Biogeography at the University of Trier, Germany
Publications
In preparation
Finger, A., Kettle, C.J., Kaiser-Bunbury, C.N., Valentin, T. & Ghazoul, J. (in prep.) Long distance gene flow in a naturally fragmented habitat of an endemic tree species of the Seychelles.
Finger, A., Kettle, C.J., Kaiser-Bunbury, C.N. & Ghazoul, J. (in prep.) Ecological and genetic processes underlying Allee effects among tree populations in the context of divergent population histories.
2012
Finger, A., Kettle, C.J., Kaiser-Bunbury, C.N., Valentin, T., Mougal, J. & Ghazoul, J. (2012) Forest fragmentation genetics in a formerly widespread island endemic tree: Vateriopsis seychellarum (Dipterocarpaceae). Molecular Ecology, in press.
2011
Finger, A., Kaiser-Bunbury, C.N., Kettle, C.J. (2011) Development of polymorphic microsatellite markers of the Seychelles endemic tree Glionnetia sericea (Rubiaceae). Conservation Genetics Resources. doi: 10.1007/s12686-011-9515-3
Finger, A., Kettle, C.J., Kaiser-Bunbury, C.N., Valentin, T., Doudee, D., Matatiken, D. & Ghazoul, J. (2011) Back from the brink: barriers to reproduction and the potential for genetic rescue in the jellyfish tree. Molecular Ecology 20: 3773–3784. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2011.05228.x
2010
Habel, J. C., Schmitt, T., Meyer, M., Finger, A., Rödder, D., Assmann, T. & Zachos, F. E. (2010) Biogeography meets conservation: the genetic structure of the endangered lycaenid butterfly Lycaena helle (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 101: 155–168
Habel, J.C., Finger, A., Schmitt, Th. & Nève, G. (2010) Survival of the endangered butterfly Lycaena helle in a fragmented environment: Genetic analyses over 15 years. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research 49 (1): 25-31. doi: 10.1111/j.1439-0469.2010.00575.x.
Finger A., Ismail S., Ghazoul J. & Kettle C.J. (2010) Development of polymorphic microsatellite markers of the endangered and endemic Vateriopsis seychellarum (Dipterocarpaceae), a relict canopy tree of the Seychelles. Conservation Genetic Resources 2, Supplement 1: 309-311 Doi: 10.1007/s12686-010-9213-6
Finger, A. & Klank, C. (2010) Molecular methods – Blessing or curse? In: J.C. Habel & T. Assmann (Eds) Relict Species - Phylogeography and Conservation Biology. Springer Heidelberg, p.309-320.
Finger, A., Ghazoul, J., Todd, M., Kaiser-Bunbury C. & Kettle, C.J. (2010) Development of thirteen polymorphic microsatellite markers for the Seychelles endangered and endemic jellyfish tree Medusagyne oppositifolia (Medusagynaceae). Conservation genetic resources 2: 173–175. doi 10.1007/s12686-009-9120-x.
2009
Finger, A., Schmitt, T., Meyer, M., Assmann, T., Zachos, F.E. & J.C. Habel (2009) The genetic status of the Violet Copper Lycaena helle, a relict of the cold past in times of global warming. Ecography 32: 382-390
Habel, J.C., Zachos, F., Finger, A., Meyer, M., Louy, D., Assmann, T. & T. Schmitt (2009) Unprecedented long-term genetic monomorphism in an endangered relict butterfly species. Conservation Genetics 10: 1659-1665
2008
Habel, J., Finger, A., Meyer M. & Assmann, T. (2008) Polymorphic microsatellite loci in the endangered butterfly Lycaena helle (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae). European Journal of Entomology 105(2): 361-362
Schmitt, T., Augenstein, B. & Finger, A. (2008) The influence of changes in viticulture management on the butterfly (Lepidoptera) diversity in a wine growing region of southwestern Germany. European Journal of Entomology 105: 249-255
2007
Wipking, W., Finger, A. & Meyer, M. (2007) Habitatbindung und Bestandssituation des Blauschillernden Feuerfalters Lycaena helle (Denis & Schiffermüller) in Luxemburg (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae). Bull. Soc. Nat. Luxemb. 108: 81-87.
