Exploring Global Phytochemical Diversity in Salicaceae: Call for Collaboration on Metabolomics Project

We are launching a new project focused on exploring global trends in phytochemical diversity. Our project aims to explore the fascinating diversity of plant metabolites by examining how various aspects of chemical diversity correlate with biotic and abiotic stress factors on a global scale. We are focusing on the Salicaceae family, which serves as a unique model system due to its widespread distribution across diverse environments.

The project involves extensive fieldwork at multiple sites, but we are also looking to expand our sampling to include additional tropical and subtropical species within the Salicaceae family (many of them being previously included in Flacourtiaceae). For our metabolomics analyses, we ideally need 20 freshly matured, undamaged leaves from five individual plants per species. While freeze-dried leaves are preferred, samples preserved in silica gel are also suitable. We are particularly interested in samples from Africa or Asia but we welcome samples from other regions as well. We seek datasets ideally consisting of at least five new species that can be considered as more or less sympatric, grow under similar conditions, and are potentially exposed to a similar pool of herbivores. Hence, we, for example, typically consider lowland and highland species as different datasets.
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We are enthusiastic about the prospect of new collaborations and are delighted to offer co-authorship on resulting publications. If you are interested in collaborating with us, please contact Martin Volf at [email protected] where you can also ask any questions related to the project and sampling protocols.

​List of Salicaceae Species with Existing Samples or Planned Collection Next Season

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