CORE TEAM
Christoph B. Rosche
Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
Principal investigator
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 and Centaurea stoebe as model species to study eco-evolutionary principles at contemporary time scales
Dávid U. Nagy
Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
Network coordinator
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 the 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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Marilia S. Lucas
Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
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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Arpad E. Thoma
Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
PhD 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.​
Isabell Hensen
Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
Head of the lab & thesis supervisor
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.