Joëlle van der Sprong

The paper evaluates the robustness of multispecies coalescent methods for species delimitation in taxonomically complex systems using Mediterranean Tethya sponges, finding that hypothesis-testing approaches are more reliable than heuristic ones.

This study uses DNA barcoding data to analyze shallow-water demosponge biodiversity in the Indo-Pacific, revealing patterns of connectivity, endemism, and distribution with higher resolution than previous morphology-based studies.

The paper shows ecological filtering, not coevolution, better predicts microbiome composition in marine sponges, using phylogenetic and trait-based analyses.

The paper develops ultraconserved elements (UCEs) and machine learning classifiers to improve phylogenetic analysis and taxonomy in nematodes, achieving accurate genus-level classification with minimal loci.