Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops; DE
Our collaboration with Prof. Dr. Nicole van Dam centers on the chemical ecology of plant–insect interactions, with a focus on how plant chemical diversity shapes herbivore behavior, performance, and ecological interactions. By integrating metabolomics and advanced chemical profiling with ecological and evolutionary frameworks, we investigate how genetic and environmental factors influence plant secondary metabolism and its ecological consequences.
Within this partnership, our laboratory contributes high-resolution LC-MS–based metabolite profiling and data interpretation, supporting studies on hybridization-driven changes in plant chemistry and their effects on insect herbivores. This collaboration bridges analytical biochemistry, chemical ecology, and evolutionary biology, advancing a mechanistic understanding of multitrophic interactions in natural and semi-natural systems.
Joint publications:
Renoult S., et al. (2025) Journal of Experimental Botany Early View: DOI: 10.1093/jxb/eraf296