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., Leong J.V., de Lima Ferreira P., Volfová T., Kozel P., Matos-Maraví P., Hörandl E., Wagner N.D., Luntamo N., Salminen J.-P., Segar S.T., Sedio B.E. (2023) Contrasting levels of β‐diversity and underlying phylogenetic trends indicate different paths to chemical diversity in highland and lowland willow species, Ecology Letters, 26: 1599-1571. DOI: 10.1111/ele.14273
Mezzomo, P., Weinhold, A., Aurová, K., Jorge, L. R., Kozel, P., Michálek, J., Nováková, N., Seifert, C. L., Volfová, T., Engström, M., Salminen, J.-P., Sedio, B. E., & Volf, M. (2023). Leaf volatile and nonvolatile metabolites show different levels of specificity in response to herbivory. Ecology and Evolution, 13, e10123. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10123 Volf M., Volfová T., Hörandl E., Wagner N.D., Luntamo N.,Salminen J.-P., Sedio B. E. (2022) Abiotic stress rather than biotic interactions drives contrasting trends in chemical richness and variation in alpine willows. Functional Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.14169 Fontanilla A. M., Aubona G., Sisol M., Kuukkanen I., Salminen J.-P., Miller S. E., Holloway J. D., Novotny V., Volf M., Segar S. T., (2022) What Goes in Must Come Out? The Metabolic Profile of Plants and Caterpillars, Frass, And Adults of Asota (Erebidae: Aganainae) Feeding on Ficus (Moraceae) in New Guinea. Journal of Chemical Ecology. 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-022-01379-x Leong JV, Jorge LR, Seifert CL, Volf M. (2022) Quantity and specialisation matter: Effects of quantitative and qualitative variation in willow chemistry on resource preference in leaf-chewing insects. Insect Conservation and Diversity. https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12559 |
