Laboratory of Evolutionary Ecology
VOLF LAB
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 PUBLICATIONSVolf M., Fontanilla A.M., Vanhakylä S., Abe T., Libra M., Kogo R., Lilip R. , Kamata N. , Murakami M., Novotny V., Salminen J-P. , Segar S. T., (2024) High intraspecific variability and previous experience affect polyphenol metabolism in polyphagous Lymantria mathura caterpillars. Ecology and Evolution, https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10973
Volf M., Renoult S. A., Panthee S., van Dam N. M., (2024) Quantifying various aspects of chemical diversity in hybrid plants can help understanding ecological consequences of hybridization. American Journal of Botany, https://doi.org/10.1002/ajb2.16283 Seifert C.L., Moos M., Volf M. (2024) Different fates of metabolites and small variation in chemical composition characterise frass chemistry in a specialist caterpillar, Physilogical Entomology, https://doi.org/10.1111/phen.12429 Molleman F., Mandal M., Sokół-Łętowska A., Walczak U., Volf M., Mallick S., Moos M., Vodrážka P., Prinzing A. ,Mezzomo P. (2024), Simulated Herbivory Affects the Volatile Emissions of Oak Saplings, while Neighbourhood Affects Flavan-3-ols Content of Their Leaves Journal of Chemical Ecology, 1-12, DOI: 10.1007/s10886-024-01471-4 Segar S.T., Jorge L.R., Nicholls L., Basset Y., Rota J., Kaman O., Sisol M., Gewa B., Dahl Ch., Butterill P., Mezzomo P., Miller S.E., Weiblen G., Salminen J-P., Novotny V., Martin Volf M., (2024) Species Swarms and their Caterpillar Colonisers: Phylogeny and Polyphenols Determine Host Plant Specificity in New Guinean Lepidoptera, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 11, https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2023.1308608 |