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Postdoctoral Position in Plant Chemical Ecology
We are inviting applications for a postdoctoral researcher to join our project exploring the drivers and functional roles of phytochemical diversity in plants. Project Overview Our research investigates the remarkable diversity of plant metabolites and their correlations with biotic and abiotic stressors at a global scale. To test our hypotheses, we focus on the Salicaceae family that represents a unique model system, being globally distributed in diverse environments. The project combines field observations with advanced metabolomics techniques. The successful candidate will enhance these efforts through laboratory-based experiments to test the functional roles of phytochemical diversity in plant defence. A key part of this work involves conducting feeding experiments with model herbivores to determine how different facets of chemical diversity influence insect behaviour and performance.
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Morgane Cottel has joined our lab as a new PhD student. She will be working on plant chemical defences and their roles in multitrophic interactions along ecological gradients. Using tropical and temperate species from the willow family, she will focus on the importance of plant volatile compounds in attracting the predators of insect herbivores depending on the type of environment.
We are delighted to congratulate Priscila Mezzomo on the successful defence of her doctoral thesis titled “Induced Plant Defences, Their Specificity, and Roles in Plant Protection.”
 Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Merry Christmas and happiness, good health, love and many publications in the New Year 2025! from Laboratory of Evolutionary Ecology
PhD Studentship in Plant-Herbivore Ecology: Global trends in phytochemical diversity and plant-herbivore interactions
 The President of the Czech Science Foundation (GACR) Petr Baldrian awarded the five best scientific projects this evening at the Strahov Monastery. The awarded basic research has significantly contributed to the deepening of knowledge in the given disciplines and opened the way to further practical application.
Martin was awarded for our research on the origins of chemical diversity in plants: gacr.cz/en/the-best-scientists-received-the-czech-science-foundation-presidents-award/ image source : GAČR Our recent study shows how six closely related willow species respond to different insect herbivores. We found that both willow species and herbivore identity drives variation in volatile organic compounds (VOCs), non-volatile metabolites (non-VOCs), and salicinoids. Interestingly, herbivore treatment significantly explains the variation in VOCs more than in non-VOCs and salicinoids.
Plants employ diverse anti-herbivore defenses, forming syndromes of multiple traits. These include direct defenses like toxic compounds and trichomes, and indirect defenses like volatile organic compounds that can attract predators of herbivores. Syndromes provide complementary defenses against various herbivores through trade-offs among plant traits such as nutrient content, chemical, and physical defenses.
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New PublicationsMezzomo P., Leong J.V., , Pokorny V., Jorge L..R., Volfova T., Kozel P., Vodrazka P.,Seifert C. L., Aurová K., Moos M., Engström M.T., Salminen J.P., Volf M. (2025) Effects of pronounced seasonal turnover and intraspecific variation in leaf traits on specialization of insect herbivores associated with six Salicaceae hosts. Oecologia 207 : article number: 34.
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