Dr. rer. nat. André Kessler, Professor
I am a chemical ecologist whose research focuses on the mechanisms, ecological consequences, and the evolution of plant induced responses to herbivore damage. Conceptually, I study plant secondary metabolism as a vehicle of information transfer. Chemical information can mediate complex interactions from the molecular and cell to the whole plant and community level. As a consequence, my research includes studying chemical elicitation of plant responses, plant chemistry-mediated alterations in insect population and community dynamics, plant-plant communication, plant-pollinator interactions, and plant defense mechanisms against herbivores. In my lab, we use chemical and molecular tools in manipulative field and laboratory experiments to understand the mechanism of elicitation, signal transduction, and information-mediating secondary metabolite production in plants responding to biotic and abiotic environmental stresses. Moreover, we put a particular emphasis on studying the ecological functions and evolution of plant metabolic responses and chemical information transfer in the plants’ native habitats. In more recent projects my group tries to apply some of the chemical ecology principles found in native systems to control insect pests in agricultural systems. My research includes a number of different study systems in New York, Utah, Peru, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Kenya.
I studied ecology, genetics, and geobotany and received my master’s degree at the University of Würzbug, Germany. I received my Ph.D. (Dr. rer. nat.) from the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology and the University of Jena, Germany.
I teach and co-teach in a number of courses, including BioEE 3611 Field Ecology, BioEE 3690 Chemical Ecology, BioEE 4460/4461 Plant Behavior, and BioEE 7640 Plant-Insect Interactions Seminar.
Ethan Bass, Ph.D. student
I am interested in the ecology and evolution of root defenses and their cascading effects on plant interactions and community assembly. For example, how do chemically-mediated interactions in the root zone contribute to the success of competitively dominant species like tall goldenrod (Solidago altissima)? To what extent is the evolution of root defenses constrained by ecological costs (e.g. through the inhibition of mutualists)? I also work on practical applications of these concepts to the development of more sustainable agricultural practices (e.g. functional intercropping to improve soil health). Unlike just about any crop species, tall goldenrod is able to dominate recently abandoned agricultural fields (AKA “old-field” communities) for decades without any intervention or input from humans. I hope that understanding this process and its underlying mechanisms can contribute to the development of new strategies to sustainably increase agricultural productivity.
Juan Pablo Jordán, Ph.D. student
My interests lie at the intersection between chemical ecology and agroecology. By studying intercropping system, I try to better understand how species interactions both above and below ground mediate resistance to herbivores and pathogens. I am also interested in the maintenance of phytochemical diversity, evolution of plant defenses, and plant-soil feedbacks. B.S., Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador (2021)
Michael Mueller, Ph.D. student
My current research focus can be summarized in a few fundamental questions: What makes organisms behave the way they do? What cues or information make an organism behave in a particular way? How can we use these findings to develop sustainable pest control and nature conservancy applications? Currently, I am studying the ways plants integrate chemical and spectral information from their neighbors, and how this exchange impacts species interactions, community, and ecosystem dynamics.
Mario A. Sandoval-Molina, Ph.D. student
coming soon
Alumns
Rayko Halitschke, Research Group Leader
Then: Senior research associate
Now: Research Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, Germany
Chemical Ecology, Mass spectrometry , Proteomics
Amy L. Parachnowitsch, Associate Professor
Then: Ph. D. student
Now: Associate Professor at the University of New Brunswick, Canada
Evolutionary and Chemical Ecology of Plant-Pollinator interactions
More updates coming soon
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