Botanik Seminar
Ein gemeinsames Seminar des Lehrstuhls für Systematik, Biodiversität & Evolution der Pflanzen, der Botanischen Staatssammlung München und des Botanischen Gartens München-Nymphenburg
Wann? Mittwochs
- Mittwochs um 13:15 Uhr (während des Semesters, wenn nicht anders angegeben)
Wo?
- Kleiner Hörsaal (Raum 109) im Botanischen Institut, Menzinger Str. 67, 80638 München.
Programm Wintersemester 2024-2025
09 September 2024 at 4:00pm: Dr. Aaron Liston, Dept. of Botany & Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Oregon, U.S.A.
On the origin of strawberries
Host: Prof. Dr. Gudrun Kadereit
02 October 2024 at 4:15pm in the Big Lecture Hall: Prof. Dr. Pamela S. Soltis, Florida Museum of Natural History, Florida, U.S.A.
Polyploidy and Plant Diversification
Host: Prof. Dr. Christoph Oberprieler and Prof. Dr. Gudrun Kadereit
16 October 2024: Dr. Léo-Paul Dagallier, Institute of Systematic Botany, New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York, USA.
Plant evolution in the tropics: examples from the African Annonaceae and the Andean Melastomataceae
Plant evolution is under the influence of several biotic and abiotic drivers. Here I will present insights in the plant evolution of two major tropical plant clades, in two different geographical
settings: the Monodoreae tribe (Annonaceae) of Africa and the Merianieae tribe (Melastomataceae) of South America. The evolutionary relationships within the two clades were inferred with a phylogenomic approach, and biogeographic and macroevolutionary analyses were conducted. The Monodoreae (ca. 90 species) evolved in the past 25 Myrs in the tropical rain forests of Africa. They experienced several range contraction and expansion, as well as a sudden extinction event. Birth-death models suggest that African elevation change (orogeny) is positively linked to speciation in this clade. The Merianieae (ca. 300 species) originated around 30 Myrs ago in South America. The Andes seems to have played an important role in promoting a fast diversification, leading to important uncertainty in evolutionary relationships (many reconstructed branches are poorly supported). Morphological character evolution is also interesting in this clade, and could be linked with pollinator shift in the Andes. I will also discuss how plant evolution is complex, and how reticulate evolution can impact analyses and bring uncertainty.
Host: Dr. Marie Claire Veranso-Libalah
23 October 2024: Prof. Dr. Aurélien Tellier, Professorship for Population Genetics, Technical University of Munich, Germany.
Arunkumar Ramesh, Thibaut Sellinger, Kevin Korfmann, Diala Abu-Awad, Aurélien Tellier
Inference of past demography and life-history traits from genomic and epigenomic polymorphism data
While most inference methods using full-genome data can be applied to all possible kind of species, the underlying assumptions are often sexual reproduction in each generation and non-overlapping generations. However, in many plants, invertebrates, fungi and other taxa, those assumptions are often violated due to different ecological and life history traits, such as self-fertilization, long term dormant structures (seed or egg-banking) or large variance in offspring production. Furthermore, the resolution of past inference decreases when there is a lack of SNPs in the data. I will present new developments of Sequentially Markovian Coalescent (SMC) and Deep Learning (DL) methods to 1) infer seed banking / dormancy or selfing rates and their change in time, and 2) integrate epigenetic (methylation) markers to improve the inference of past events.
Host: Prof. Dr. Silke Werth
30 October 2024 at 1.30pm: Prof. Hernán A. Burbano, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment University College London, UK.
Pathogen wars through time: studying plant pathogens with modern and historical DNA
In this talk, I will delve into the realm of plant-pathogen coevolution by integrating present-day and historical samples to examine the interactions between crop and wild plants and their fungal and bacterial pathogens. Furthermore, I will explore the role of bacteriophages in shaping interbacterial competition and influencing the outcomes of bacterial infections in metapopulations of historical and modern plant pathogens. To shed light on the multifaceted nature of these interactions, I will contrast the results of plant-pathogen relationships in cultivated crops with those found in natural ecosystems.
Host: Prof. Dr. Gudrun Kadereit
06 November 2024: No Seminar
13 November 2024 via Zoom: Dr. Natascha Wagner, Department of Systematics, Biodiversity and Evolution of Plants, Albrecht-Haller-Institute for Plant Sciences Georg-August-University of Göttingen, Germany.
It is challenging - but it's worth it. Unravelling phylogenetic relationships in shrub willows
The genus Salix is known to challenge botanists because of its taxonomic difficulties, a tendency to hybridise, and the amount of polyploid species. In the talk especially shrub willows will be presented, some only a few cm high. Their reticulate relationships were only recently analysed on a worldwide scale.
Host: PD Dr. Andreas Fleischmann
20 November 2024: PD Dr. Michael Raupach, Zoologische Staatssammlung München, Munich, Germany.
Using molecular methods to assess the diversity and to reconstruct the evolutionary history of water bugs (Nepomorpha) and water striders (Gerromorpha)
Water bugs (Nepomorpha) and water striders (Gerromorpha) are some of the most fascinating insects around and have numerous morphological adaptations to their aquatic environment. Whereas water bugs typically have a streamlined body, natatorial legs and short antennae, water striders are known for their long, slender legs that act as propulsion (middle leg) and rudders (hind legs), allowing them to move on the water surface. Many aspects of the biodiversity and phylogeny of these bugs are still unknown. The use of modern molecular methods makes it possible to answer taxonomic, systematic, and phylogenetic questions, whereby old museum material can increasingly be used. All this helps us to better understand the evolutionary history of these amazing animals more in detail.
Host: Prof. Dr. Silke Werth
27 November 2024: Dr. Chiara Tonon, Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und –prüfung (BAM), Department 4. Material and the Environment, Berlin, Germany.
Biofilms, lichens and surfaces: between ancient materials and modern needs
The surfaces of outdoor-exposed inorganic materials represent one of the most harsh environments for colonization. Nevertheless, many organisms able to cope with extremely stressful conditions (i.e. lichens, fungi, algae, etc.) can establish on surfaces and proliferate with diverse survival strategies. The success of a colonization depends not only on the species involved, but also on the characteristics of the material (bioreceptivity) and on the external environmental conditions. As an effect of the biological growth, the material itself is modified mechanically or chemically, with consequences falling back in surface-shaping phenomena such as biogeomorphism, biodeterioration, bioprotection, etc. When the impact on the materials is unwanted (e.g. on surfaces of historical interest), the growth of biological patinas should be avoided, but there are other cases where the biological growth has a neutral impact, or it is even wanted and encouraged. In this talk, all the main factors involved in the phenomenon of biological colonization of inorganic surfaces will be introduced, with case-studies showing the importance of an interdisciplinary approach and of both field and laboratory phases for correctly addressing scientific research in this challenging subject.
Host: PD Dr. Andreas Beck
04 December 2024 we will have 2 seminars:
At 11:15am: Prof. Qiang Wang, National Herbarium of China, Institute of Botany, the Chinese academy of Sciences, China.
Plant Diversity Survey and Progress in the Flora of Pan-Himalaya
In this talk, I will present the most unique alpine plant diversity on Earth and the unique geographical ecology of the pan-Himalayas region. I will also present the field plants survey of Pan-Himalaya and the progress of the ‘Flora of the Pan-Himalaya project’. At last, I will delve the plan of ‘Plants Genome Project of Pan-Himalaya’ and the plants name registration system ‘WPN’, which is developed by the National Herbarium of China (PE).
Host: M.Sc. Luo Chen
At 1:15pm: Dr. Jovani B.S. Pereira, University of Bonn, Germany.
Exploring Isoetes evolution: genomic approaches to understanding an ancient plant group’s global adaptation
The iconic lycophyte genus Isoetes comprises a globally distributed group of aquatic plants that thrive across diverse climates. Isoetes is the only surviving member of the ancient Isoetales, which diverged from its closest relatives more than 350 million years ago. Remarkably, Isoetes encompasses 250 species and it has shown little morphological change over time, with today’s plant forms closely resemble their ancestors from the Triassic and Jurassic. This talk examines the evolutionary history of Isoetes through data from several sequencing methods, including ddRAD-Seq, PacBio HiFi amplicons, and genome skimming, to provide a comprehensive phylogenomic framework. By combining these methods, we address challenges in reconstructing the phylogeny of Isotes, particularly issues arising from hybridization and polyploidy, which can obscure species relationships and complicate biogeographic and node age estimations. Through this approach, I will show how we are gaining valuable insights into the unique evolutionary patterns of Isoetes, helping us better understand its adaptation across time scales.
Host: Prof. Dr. Julia Bechteler
11 December 2024 we will have 2 seminars:
At 11:15am: Dr. Tijana Cvetković, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, USA
Genomic Bridges: Unraveling Evolution and Biodiversity in Plants and Marine Life
Genomics is a pivotal tool for unraveling evolutionary relationships, biodiversity, and conservation across diverse species, bridging knowledge gaps irrespective of the organisms studied. My research explores the evolutionary biology, biogeography, and conservation genetics of various plant lineages and marine organisms.
In the plant realm, we investigated subfamily Dipterocarpoideae (Dipterocarpaceae), one of the most important native tree families for wood production in tropical Asia, and proposed a novel phylogenomic hypothesis that supports revising their tribal classification. Additionally, our study of the Malvaceae presented a well-supported phylogenetic framework, recovering a fully resolved and well-supported topology that confirmed the split of the family into /Byttneriina (/Grewioideae +/Byttnerioideae) and /Malvadendrina, providing a solid framework for future evolutionary studies of this economically relevant family. Further, we reconstructed a comprehensive phylogeny of the hyper-diverse subfamily Lamioideae (Lamiaceae) by including all recognized tribes and also acquiring data from DNA-degraded and museum-preserved materials. Most tribes were retrieved monophyletic, except for Pogostemoneae and Gomphostemmateae.
Turning to marine organisms, we explored the complex genomic structure and lifestyle of cephalopods and their parasites as an important part of the marine ecosystem. We assessed the genetic diversity of dicyemid parasites of cephalopods (Sepia and Octopus), which revealed that current classifications may significantly underestimate their true diversity. Interestingly, eight new cephalopod hosts were identified, and unique community patterns in regions like the Bass Strait in Australia were uncovered. Finally, we aimed to explore the genetic diversity and population structure of two octopus species, Eledone moschata and E. cirrhosa, common in the Mediterranean Sea. The results showed genetically distinct populations of E. moschata in the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic Seas, while E. cirrhosa populations were genetically similar across both the Mediterranean and Northeast Atlantic.
These integrated genomic studies across plants and marine organisms highlight the power of genomics in elucidating evolutionary patterns and biodiversity, with remarkable implications for conservation biology.
Host: Prof. Dr. Gudrun Kadereit
At 1:15pm: Dr. Urban Tillmann, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany.
The weird world of marine dinophytes
With more than 2,000 described species, dinophytes constitute an important group of unicellular eukaryotic microorganisms. The majority of species live in the ocean, where they occupy nearly all habitats with a wide diversity of forms and functions. Dinophytes can be found as parasites or symbionts mutually within other organisms, as plankton in the open water column and also as sand-dwellers or aufwuchs in the benthos. Especially in the plankton, they may occur in exceptionally high densities during algal blooms, which in many cases can have harmful effects on the ecosystem and/or higher trophic levels including humans as sea food consumers. As diverse as their forms and habitats are, their lifestyles, nutritional strategies and behaviours are equally diverse. Heterotrophic species can engulf large particles, suck out parts of their prey or hunt using nets, harpoons or even toxins. Some specialists have adapted to permanently host algae as symbionts or even "cultivate" them outside their cells as gardeners. Others, while performing photosynthesis with their own chloroplasts, also actively hunt for food. In this presentation, selected examples will be given to illustrate a broad overview of this fascinating group of organisms.
Host: Prof. Dr. Marc Gottschling
18 December 2024 - 01 January 2025: No seminars
08 January 2025 in the Big Lecure Hall: Prof. Notburga Gierlinger, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Institut of Biophysics, Vienna, Austria.
Raman Imaging of Plant Cuticles
The cuticle covers almost all plant organs as the outermost layer and serves as a transpiration barrier, sunscreen, and first line of defense against pathogens. Waxes, fatty acids, and aromatic components build chemically and structurally diverse layers with different functionality. So far, electron microscopy has elucidated structure, while isolation, extraction, and analysis procedures have revealed chemistry. With Raman imaging we close the gap by revealing microchemistry together with structure on the native cuticle. We optimized a workflow (from sample preparation, Raman data acquisition to hyperspectral data analysis and interpretation) and investigated the cuticle of spruce needles [1, 2], tomato peels [3], Arabidopsis stem [2] and recently also the leaves of Arabidopsis and the alpine species Kalmia procumbens. We include area scans (cross sections), depth scans (cuticle peels) and also laser polarization experiments to deduce the orientation of molecules [1]. Using multivariate data analysis we separate cuticle layers based on spectral changes and verify their molecular composition. All cuticle components contribute to the Raman spectral signature and we differentiate lipidic and phenolic components within the cuticle and carbohydrates mainly towards and in the epidermal layer. While carbohydrates give a weak Raman scattering signal, others like e.g. cinnamic acids, flavonoids, triterpenoids, alkanes give strong Raman bands and can be detected in small amounts. Based on spatially resolved (300nm) spectral changes we visualise layers and gradients within the cuticle and towards the epidermal layers and trichomes. By revealing such a comprehensive view on the microchemistry of cuticle and its appendages we amend the models by details on the distribution of e.g. cinnamic acids, flavonoids and triterpenoids. Raman imaging proves as a non-destructive and fast approach to assess the chemical and structural variability in space and time and is a valuable tool to tackle knowledge gaps in plant cuticle research.
1. Sasani N; Bock P; Felhofer M; Gierlinger N (2021) Raman imaging reveals in-situ microchemistry of cuticle and epidermis of spruce needles. Plant Methods 17(1): 17. DOI: 10.1186/s13007-021-00717-6
2. Bock P, Felhofer M, Mayer K, Gierlinger N (2021): A Guide to Elucidate the Hidden Multicomponent Layered Structure of Plant Cuticles by Raman Imaging. Frontiers in Plant Science 12: 793330, DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.793330
3. González Moreno A, Domínguez E, Mayer K, Xiao N, Bock P, Heredia A, Gierlinger N. (2022). 3D (x-y-t) Raman imaging of tomato fruit cuticle: microchemistry during development. Plant physiology https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiac369
Host: Dr. Thibaud Messerschmid
15 January 2025: Luo Chen, Systematics, Biodiversity and Evolution of Plants, LMU Munich, Germany.
Phylogenomics and taxonomic implications of Old World Melastomataceae
Melastomataceae are one of the largest flowering plant families, comprising approximately 173 genera and 5,858 species, with 2,117 species across 89 genera in the Old World. When I began my PhD, our understanding of the phylogenetic relationships within Melastomataceae was largely based on sequences from a few DNA markers generated through Sanger sequencing, which is prone to random errors in phylogenetic inference and often insufficient for resolving the phylogeny of groups with complex evolutionary histories. To improve our understanding of the phylogenies in Old World Melastomataceae, I studied phylogenetics of three tribes: Dissochaeteae, Melastomateae, and Sonerileae, utilizing newly generated and publicly available Sanger and next-generation sequencing data. Together, these tribes include 76 genera and 1,500 species in the Old World, accounting for 70.9% of species and 85.4% of genera within this region. In this talk, I will present the new findings we have gained on the systematics and evolution of the Old World Melastomataceae informed by the phylogenetic results.
Host: Dr. Diego F. Morales Briones
22 January 2025: Dr. Juan Carlos Zamora, Conservatory and Botanical Garden of the city of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
The slime-mould (Myxomycetes, Amoebozoa) collection in the Geneva herbarium and recent advances in the systematics of this group
Myxomycetes, often known as “slime-moulds”, are a broadly distributed group of protists, known at least since the 17th century and that has been primarily studied by mycologists. During their life cycle, Myxomycetes go through different trophic and fruiting stages, including unicellular amoebae or flagellate cells, a multinucleate phase known as the plasmodium, and a fruiting phase where fungal-like sporophores are produced. The Geneva herbarium hosts one of the largest slime-mould collections in the world, with over 50 000 specimens covering about 75% of the more than 1000 accepted species, including some type specimens. In this talk, we will explore the origins of this collection and how specimens are preserved, as well as their relevance for research studies. The advent of molecular techniques in the 21st century has revolutionized the understanding of the evolutionary relationships among these organisms and, especially during the last decade, various studies have contributed to a more natural classification and the description of several new species. We will also comment some of these milestones, as well as ongoing projects of our research group.
Host: Dr. Anže Žerdoner Čalasan
29 January 2025: Prof. Dr. Yamama Naciri and Dr. Laurent Gautier, Conservatory and Botanical Garden of the city of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
New insights into the complex taxonomy of the Malagasy Sapotaceae
Sapotaceae is a family of large tropical trees. Being slow growing, they are highly praised for the quality of their timber, making them particularly sensitive to deforestation and selective exploitation. In Madagascar, the most recent systematic treatment is 50 years-old and mostly obsolete, hampering conservation efforts. Taking advantage of the numerous samples accumulated since, of further field sampling and of the emergence of gene capture and Next Generation Sequencing, our research uses an integrative approach to build a robust taxonomy for Madagascar Sapotaceae. In this talk we will expose the potential of our approach by presenting our main results that include new generic circumscriptions and species delimitation analyses in notoriously difficult genera that led to a twofold increase in species richness. Not surprisingly, most new species are threatened, which makes Sapotaceae one of the most threatened groups of plants in Madagascar.
Host: M.Sc. Tina Kiedaisch
05 February 2025: Prof. Dr. Michael Krings, Paleontology and Geobiology, LMU Munich, Germany.
The small world in the Rhynie chert – how plants, microorganisms, and animals lived together 400 million years ago
Host: Prof. Dr. Gudrun Kadereit
28 February 2025 at 3:00pm in the Big Lecure Hall (hybdrid): Phd defense Luo Chen, Systematics, Biodiversity and Evolution of Plants, LMU Munich, Germany.
Phylogenomics and taxonomic implications of Old World Melastomataceae
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