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.
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NEW PUBLICATIONSPanthee, S., Mezzomo P., Renoult S. A., Barman M.,Leong J. V. , Sebek P., Koutecký P., Hörandl E., Wagner N. D., Nguyen P. , van Dam N., and Volf M. (2026) Scents on the slope: declining volatile emissions but stable predator-associated cues across elevation in alpine willows. Frontiers in Plant Science 17:1873253, https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.70775
Renoult S. A., Mezzomo P., Leong J. V. , Sebek P., Panthee S. , Kukla J. , Nguyen P., Moos M. , Forrister D. L. , Wagner N. D. , Hörandl E., Koutecký P. , Sedio B. E., Frouz J., van Dam N. , and Volf M. (2026) Climate Shapes Elevational Gradients in Concentration, Composition, and Functional Diversity of Willow Metabolomes. Plant, Cell & Environment 0: 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.70775. Volf M., Mezzomo P., Renoult S. A., Wagner N. D. and McCormick A. Clavijo. (2026) Chemical Ecology of Willows (Salix L.): Ecological Roles, Evolutionary Dynamics, and Phytochemical Diversity. Annals Of Botany,mcag235, https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag235. Martin 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. |
