Dr. Jörg D. Hardege

Reader in Chemical Ecology

Functional Ecology Group

Department of Biological Sciences

The University of Hull
HU6 7RX UK
Tel: +44 (0)1482 465496

Fax: +44 (0)1482 465458

Email: j.d.hardege@hull.ac.uk

Research Interests

My research interests cover a broad field ranging from behavioural ecology, ecophysiology, analytical chemistry to environmental protection. My main activities over the past decade focused on the timing of the reproductive process of marine invertebrates and especially the use of chemical signals, pheromones. We use Nereid polychaetes ('ragworms') to study the chemical nature of sex pheromones and promote their use as marine invertebrate model organisms.

Recently, the group has been involved in studies on crustacean sex pheromones and dominance cues in shore crabs and crayfish. We also study animal communication systems in lizards and host parasite interactions in ticks and hedgehogs. For this we study the role of chemical signals in mate choice, kin recognition and in reproductive isolation and speciation collaborating with the molecular ecology research team.

The chemical ecology research team comprises of ecologists, physiologists as well as chemists and we aim to apply our research to ecologically relevant problems. These involve integrated pest management using pheromones, the role of environmental pollution upon animal signals (pheromone disruption, endocrine disruption, ocean acidification) as well as the use of info chemicals and the biochemistry to develop biomarkers. For this we collaborate with lab-on-the-chip experts in the Chemistry Department.

This diversity of research ultimately aims to gain a better understanding on how animals use chemical signals, what sender and receiver of such signals are able to gain from such cues and how human activity affects signaling either negatively or in a more manipulative role as mechanism of population management.

Full details of my research group are on the Chemical Ecology Research Group website. 

Brief CV

• 1987 BSc. M.Sc.  (first class) ,Biology, University of Oldenburg, Germany
• 1992 Dr. rer. nat. (first class, summa cum laude), Biology, University of Oldenburg, Germany
• 1992 PDRA  Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM) of the University of Oldenburg
• 1993-1995 PDRA, Gatty Marine Laboratory, St. Andrews, UK
• 1995- 1999 Lecturer in Chemical Ecology at University of Wales, Cardiff
• 1999-2009 Senior Lecturer in Chemical Ecology, Hull University
• 2004-2008 Head of Department of Biological Sciences, Hull University
• since 2009 Reader in Chemical Ecology, Dept. Biological Sciences, Hull University, Hull HU6 7RX, U.K.
  

Selected Publications

J. L Ram, X. Fei, S. M. Danaher, S. Lu, T. Breithaupt, and J.D. Hardege (2008). Finding females: Pheromone-guided reproductive tracking behavior by male Nereis succinea in the marine environment. J. Exp. Biol., 211: 757-765

Fletcher, N. & Hardege, J.D. (2009). The cost of conflict: agonistic encounters influence responses to chemical signals in the shore crab, Carcinus maenas.  Anim. Behav. 77:357-361.

Velez, Z., Hubbard, P. C., Welham, K., Hardege, J. D., Barata, E. N. and. Canário, A.V.M (2009) Identification, release and olfactory detection of bile salts in the intestinal fluid of the Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis). Comp. Biochem. Physiol. A 195:691-698

J. García-Alonso, S. Haswell, J. D. Hardege, and G. Greenway. (2009). A prototype microfluidic chip using fluorescent yeasts for detection of toxic compounds. Biosensors and Bioelectronics 24:1508-1511.

N. Fletcher, E.J. Storey, D. J. Reish and J. D. Hardege (2009) Condition-dependent sexual selection in female mate choice: Evidence that female ragworms, Nereis acuminata select dominant experienced males for paternal care.  (PloS one)

Teaching