Laboratory of Evolutionary Ecology

Do Specialized Metabolites Drive the Success of Willow Hybrids?

7/28/2025

Natural hybrids of Salix alba × fragilis are widespread along the Elbe River in Czechia, yet the ecological and chemical factors behind their success remain poorly understood. In our newly published study, we explore whether hybridization influences the diversity of specialized metabolites—and how this, in turn, affects herbivory and environmental adaptability.

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Panthee, 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

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

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