We are an international research group that explores the frontiers in plant evolutionary ecology. We combine high-throughput sequencing approaches with experimental evolution, metabolic profiling, and genetic engineering to discover how plants adapt to environmental stresses. Our mission is to explore how plants defend themselves against environmental stresses and to exploit the plants biosynthetic machinery by using plants as green biofactories. Thereby, we aim to discover fundamental principles in plant evolutionary ecology and ultimately use the acquired methods to make industrial practices more sustainable.
Lab News
2024
Feb 2024
Our new international masters program in evolutionary biology at Uni Mainz will start in winter semester 2024/25. The application portal will open in April. Join this new, cross-disciplinary program!
https://www.blogs.uni-mainz.de/fb10-biologie-eng/master-evolutionary-biology/
Flyer-Master-Evolutionary-Biology-24012024
Jan 2024
Review by Meret Huber on the role of plant latex in pathogen defense has been accepted in Trends in Microbiology.
Latex – a potential plant defense against microbes (cell.com)
2023
Dec 2023
Paper by Laura Böttner accepted
Laura Böttner's manuscript on the role of phenotypic plasticity in plant adaptation to herbivory was accepted in Communications Biology. Congratulations, Laura!
November 2023
Graduate school in Mainz
The Graduate School Gene Regulation in Evolution was extended by the German research foundation.
Our group will host a PhD student to elucidate the role of small RNAs in transgenerational plasticity in duckweeds.
Dr. Amanda de Santana Lopes joined our group
Amanda Lopes joined our group as a postdoc to establish genetic transformation of the nuclear and plastic genome in duckweeds.
Welcome, Amanda!
October 2023
Enrico Diniz Rodrigues Batista joined our team
Enrico Rodrigues started as a PhD student in the lab to study the epigenetic basis of transgenerational plasticity in duckweeds.
Welcome, Enrico!
July 2023
Martina Galloway joined our team
Martina Galloway supports our team as an administrative manager.
Welcome, Martina!
Meret Huber becomes director of the botanical garden
Meret Huber will serve as the new director of the botanical garden of the University of Mainz. Looking forward to contributing to the botanical garden and the planning of the new greenhouses!
June 2023
Manuela Rathgeber joined our team
Manuela Rathgeber joined our team as a technical assistant.
Welcome, Manuela!
January 2023
First PhD paper by Laura Böttner
Laura Böttner’s first PhD paper on the ecological function of natural rubber was accepted in New Phytologist. Congratulations, Laura!
2022
December 2022
Funding through Emmy Noether Programme
Meret Huber receives funding from the Emmy Noether Programme to study the role of DNA methylation in transgenerational stress resistance.