Laboratory of Evolutionary EcologyOur laboratory has a broad conceptual focus on trying to understand how extant diversity has been driven through ecological interactions over evolutionary time. We mostly work on model systems comprising plants and their associated insects, as the majority of described terrestrial species fall into these groups. Our work often includes the use of molecular and metabolomics tools to provide a baseline onto which we add layers of complexity in the form of detailed ecological measurements on communities and trophic interactions. We combine field collections with manipulative experiments and work collaboratively with others to achieve our goals. For more, see Research Projects.
NEWS |
NEW PUBLICATIONSMartin Volf, (2026) Structural innovation and flexibility in plant chemical defenses, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 123 (15) e2606250123, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2606250123
Mezzomo P., Leong J. V., Vodrážka P., Moos M., Özcan E., Bina D., Ré Jorge L., Volfová T., Pokorný V., Volf M., (2026) Species-specific scents, targeted enemies: Volatile cues mediate predator attraction in willows. Functional Ecology, https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.70289 Sam K., Sivault E., Fernandez Garzon S., Finnie S., Kollross J., Houska Tahadlova M., Lenc J. Libra M., Ludwig A., Maraia H., Philip A. J., Re Jorge L., Xiao X & Volf M., (2026) Forest canopy insects are safer from predators in the tropics than at higher latitudes. Nature Communications, 2026, ttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-69935-7 Chadwick S., Henderson D., Forrister D.L., Cayola L., Fuentes A., Alvestegui B., Muchhala N., J., Tello S., Volf M., Myers J. A., Sedio B.E. (2026) Chemical properties of foliar metabolomes represent a key axis of functional trait variation in forests of the tropical Andes. Proc Biol Sci 1 January 2026; 293 (2063): 20251721. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2025.1721 Putra R., Paulic M., Müller C. (2025) Plant accession and insect infestation, rather than silicon supplementation, shape defence strategies of Arabidopsis halleri towards a leaf beetle, Plant Biology 435-8603, https://doi.org/10.1111/plb.70160 Segar S.T., Boutsi S., Souto-Vilarós D., Volf M., Dunn D. W., Cruaud A., Pereira R.A.S., Rasplus J-Y., Kjellberg F. (2025) The diversity of Ficus, Annals of Botany, mcaf280, https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcaf280 Marinček P., Leong J.V., Pittet L., Léveillé-Bourret È., Nyma T., Tomoshevich M., Banaev E., He L. , Hörandl E., Volf M., Wagner N.D., (2025) Spatio-temporal evolution of shrub willows (Salix subgenus Vetrix clade) on a global scale, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 108480, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2025.108480 |
