​PEOPLE INVOLVED
Christoph B. Rosche
PI
My research focuses on disentangling population ecological processes that drive the local spread or decline of plant populations. I am particularly interested in how environmental gradients determine the genomic structure of populations and phenotypic among-population variation through local adaptation. I use Conyza canadensis as a model to study eco-evolutionary principles at contemporary time scales
Dávid U. Nagy
Post Doc
My main interest are the eco-evolutionary aspects of alien plant invasions. I am interested how genomic changes (i.e. polyploidization) between native and non-native populations influence invasive potential of a species in respect to local environmental variation. I use Solidago gigantea and Conyza canadesis as model species.
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PhD Student
My project will apply RADseq analyses to identify molecular mechanisms of rapid evolution in native and non-native Conyza canadensis populations. Landscape genomics will unravel adaptive and non-adaptive drivers of the global genomic structure of this cosmopolitan weed. Available common garden data will allow studying genomic associations for intraspecific trait variation for phenotypic (competitive ability) and metabolomic data (root exudate profiles).
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Marilia S. Lucas
Master Student
As student helper and during my MSc studies, I am supporting the iCONNECT research and expanding my knowledge in the different projects. My current interest is to inevstigate among-population variation in absolute genome size. I use Conyza canadensis populations for plant DNA flow cytometry analyses.​
Arpad E. Thoma
Isabell Hensen
Head of the lab & thesis supervisor
Head of the lab & thesis supervisor
Martin-Luther University
Isabell’s working group is renowned for its basic and applied research across a wide range of plant ecological fields including population ecology, population genetics, biological invasions, conservation biology and vegetation ecology.
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Isabell Hensen
COPIs
Ragan M. Callaway
University of Montana. CoPI of WP1
The primary focus of the research in Ray’s lab is on interactions among plants. These include direct interactions, such as competition for resources, allelopathy, and facilitation; and indirect interactions mediated by herbivores, soil microbes, and other plants. Most of his current work is on interactions between exotic invaders and native species.
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Nicole M. van Dam
iDiv Leipzig / University of Jena. CoPI of WP2
Nicole’s aim is to unravel the chemical and molecular mechanisms governing multitrophic interactions associated with plants. She specifically focuses on interactions between plant roots and belowground herbivores. She uses metabolomic and transcriptomic approaches as well as manipulative experiments to study these interactions in the greenhouse as well as in the field.
Ylva Lekberg
MPG Ranch / University of Montana. CoPI of WP3
Ylva’s research focuses on interactions between plants and soil biota and how these interactions may influence plant invasive success as well as restoration trajectories of degraded grasslands. She is also interested in cost-benefit relationships in mycorrhizal associations and uses molecular and isotope approaches to characterize microbial communities and their associated function.
Walter Durka
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research. CoPI of WP4
Walter’s main focus is molecular ecology - the application of molecular DNA-based methods to study aspects of the ecology of plants and animals. He analyzes patterns of genetic and genomic variation at levels of individuals, clones, populations, regions, species up to communities to reveal historical to recent processes connected to gene flow, genetic drift, and selection on various spatial and time scales.
Christopher D. Barratt
iDiv Leipzig. CoPI of WP4
Chris is a conservation biologist interested in elaborating spatial patterns of biodiversity and unraveling the ecological and evolutionary processes that contribute to them. Ultimately his work seeks to understand how we can better conserve biodiversity using a combination of diverse types of data (molecular, environmental, traits) and minimise future biodiversity loss due to global change. His areas of expertise are in population genomics and spatial data analysis.
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Renske E. Onstein
iDiv Leipzig / University of Leipzig. Adviser for evolutionary applications on the meso-scale
Renske focuses on the interchange between (macro-) ecology and evolution, to understand the global distribution of plant taxonomic and functional diversity. She tests the (historical) influence of functional traits, climate, vegetation types, and biotic interactions on diversification rates, and how this varies among regions and biomes.
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Manzoor A. Shah
University of Kashmir. Add-on subproject coordinator for herbivory studies
The broad focus of Manzoor’s research is to understand the patterns and impacts of plant invasions, both in terrestrial and aquatic systems, from a biogeographic perspective. He uses macro-ecological and molecular ecological approaches to unravel the impacts of invasive species and their variations across native and non-native regions, besides being interested in interactions of plant invaders with herbivores and rhizosphere biota.
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Karin Schrieber
University of Kiel (CAU). Add-on subproject coordinator for studies on volatile communication between Conyza individuals
Her research focuses on the effects of global change on co-evolved traits in plant biotic interactions and their feedback on the various facets of communication and resource exchange among component species.
She integrates stress manipulation experiments, behavioural assays, metabolomics, and population genomics to study interactions among my endangered or invasive plant model species and their herbivores, pollinators, or conspecifics.
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Caio Brunharo
University Park. Add-on subproject coordinator for studies on differentiation between urban and agricultural populations
Caio's research program is interested in generating basic and applied knowledge to minimize the impacts of invasive plant species in agriculture in a world threatened by climate change and food insecurity. We use Conyza canadensis as a model species to understand the mechanisms of weed adaptation to agriculture.
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