{"id":9512,"date":"2025-03-28T10:25:06","date_gmt":"2025-03-28T09:25:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cms.zdv.uni-mainz.de\/template\/?page_id=9512"},"modified":"2026-10-14T10:31:53","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T08:31:53","slug":"homepage-physics-working-group-template","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cms.zdv.uni-mainz.de\/fb10-plant-x\/","title":{"rendered":"Xu Lab – Evolutionary Plant Sciences"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Organisation:<\/strong> JGU<\/a> > Faculty <\/a>10 > Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (IomE) > AG Xu<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We study evolutionary genetics of plant biotic interactions. We aim to understand how organisms evolve in multitrophic communities using integrative tools from genomics, molecular biology and chemical ecology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The group originated in 2012 at the Max-Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology (in the department of Molecular Ecology). In 2018, the group moved to the University of M\u00fcnster. Since April 2022, we are at the University of Mainz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are an INTER<\/strong>3 <\/sup>group: International, interdisciplinary and intellectual. To learn more, please check our research<\/a>, team<\/a> and publications<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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We aim to understand how organisms evolve and survive in nature using integrative tools<\/strong> from genomics, molecular biology, single-cell omics, chemical ecology, experimental evolution, and synthetic biology.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/jgu-base-heading>\n\n\n\n

Current Projects <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \n\n \n\n

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In nature, organisms live in communities and form complex trophic interactions. Understanding how multitrophic communities evolve and respond to environmental changes is a fundamental and pressing challenge in face of global change. While research in evolutionary biology revealed that a warming climate can drive adaptive evolution of individual organisms in the community, studies from community ecology showed that a warming climate can alter trophic interactions and community structure, which in turn changes the (co)evolutionary trajectory of interacting species. Thus, integrating evolutionary and ecological responses is crucial to understand the climate responses of individual species and communities. However, methodological challenges have hampered empirical studies until now. This project will address these challenges by experimentally evolving populations of three interacting species (aphid, duckweed, and daphnia) in their native communities using outdoor mesocosms with different climate conditions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We will quantify how warming shapes the function and evolution of the multitrophic community in real-time. By manipulating climate-driven plant evolution, we will determine whether plant evolution alters the community\u2019s response to climate change. We will also assess whether the interacting species coevolve in the community by quantifying the reciprocal selection imposed from their evolutionary changes. We will investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying (co)evolution using state-of-the-art genetic tools. Using a combination of experimental evolution, community manipulation, and cutting-edge genetic and analytic tools, this project will push the research boundaries of evolutionary ecology by revealing the mechanisms and processes of community evolution at work. \"\"<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Many plant specialized metabolites (PSMs) function as defenses and abrogating particular pathway steps can lead to the accumulation of toxic intermediates, indicating that in addition to defense-based functional selection, autotoxicity avoidance plays a key role in the evolution of the PSM biochemistry. However, we currently do not know to which extent and how autotoxicity protection mechanisms evolve in concert with defensive functions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These challenging questionsrequire a multi-species and -organ approach integrating gene -and PSM-level information (multiomics atlases) to test, using both functional and evolutionary studies, three key predictions of autotoxicity avoidance-driven evolution: that 1) strong signatures of positive selection for a PSM pathway should be detected for genes participating in autotoxicity prevention; 2) expression of those genes should likely be enriched in specific cell types associated with cell growth and\/or differentiation; and that 3) similar organ-level signatures of selection should be detected among closely-related species harboring a given PSM innovation, since the selection imposed by intrinsic cellular functions is likely to be less dynamic than ecological selections. Here, by building on our recent breakthrough on the biosynthesis and (auto)toxicity mechanisms of diterpene glycosides (DTG) in tobacco as well as on other groups\u2019 work on the biosynthesis of steroidal glycoalkaloids (SGA), two prominent Solaneaceae PSM defenses, we will implement a state-of-the-art integration of computational metabolomics, transcriptomics, single-cell genomics and genetic manipulation tools to address this challenge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We aim to <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(i) <\/em>establish integrated metabolomics-transcriptomics atlases for eight solanaceous species to pinpoint on biochemical innovations in the DTG and SGA pathways; <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(ii)<\/em> retrace the molecular evolution of these pathways and characterize genes with signatures of strong positive selection; <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(iii)<\/em>, as a case-study, functionally decipher the contribution of autotoxicity avoidance for SGAs\u2019 evolution using a combination of single-cell genomics and genetic manipulations. The outcomes of this work will allow us to evaluate whether autotoxicity prevention is a key selection pressure driving the chemodiversification in Solanaceae. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a joint project together with Prof. Emmanuel Gaquerel <\/a>from the University of Strasbourg, funded by DFG and ANR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Related publications:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata<\/em>) is a powerful model for studying rapid evolutionary innovation. This project investigates how new cellular defense strategies emerge and diversify in an agricultural pest that repeatedly adapts to challenging environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Using comparative genomics, transcriptomics, cell-level analyses, and functional experiments, we aim to understand how defensive traits originate, how they are regulated, and how they contribute to ecological success. While the mechanistic details of this ongoing project remain confidential, our broader goal is to reveal how evolution generates novel cellular functions and how these innovations shape the adaptive potential of pest species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This project is part of SPP 2349<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rapid increase in fecundity is one of the major traits associated with the evolution of agricultural pests. Insect fecundity is strongly affected by the ovariole number, which is genetically controlled, but can be influenced by environmental factors, such as temperature and food quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Drosophila<\/em>, evolutionary changes in ovariole number are associated with the number of terminal filament cells (TFCs) in the terminal filament (TF), a stack of 9-10 disc-shaped cells located at the anterior tip of each ovariole. The regulation of both TFC and TF numbers is dependent on the Hippo signalling pathway, an evolutionarily conserved regulator of organ growth and cell fate that also regulates haematopoiesis in Drosophila. However, the genetic mechanism underlying the increased ovariole number in agricultural pests remains unclear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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To identify the genetic mechanisms underlying ovariole number variations in CPB, we will perform quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis using the established mapping populations. We will also compare the small RNA profiles and single-cell transcriptomes of the TF between the two genotypes that differ in their ovariole numbers. The outcomes will provide new insights into the cellular regulation of cell fate, e.g., via small RNAs, involved in controlling ovariole numbers in CPB. Furthermore, we will use the population genomics approach to characterize the signature of selection in CPB and investigate whether the evolution of the toxin and ovariole number in CPB was under natural selection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This project is part of the GenEvo Research Training Programme<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Colorado Potato Beetle (CPB), Leptinotarsa decemlineata<\/em> produces a neurotoxin, leptinotarsin in its hemolymph, which is lethal to other insects and vertebrates. This project aims to investigate the evolutionary and molecular mechanisms underlying leptinotarsin production and self-tolerance in CPB using a combination of functional neurobiology and evolutionary genetics approaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This project is part of the GenEvo Research Training Programme<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Flowering plants produce some of the most diverse reproductive structures in nature, yet the core developmental program required to build a flower remains poorly understood. Duckweeds provide a unique opportunity to address this question: they are among the smallest and fastest-growing flowering plants, with highly reduced body plans and extremely simple flowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this project, we establish Lemna aequinoctialis<\/em> as a tractable model for minimal flower development. We combine chromosome-level genomics, single-nucleus RNA sequencing, whole-mount in situ validation, and genetic transformation tools to identify the cell types, regulatory genes, and developmental trajectories that generate flowers inside the duckweed frond. By studying how duckweeds retain, modify, or lose components of canonical flowering pathways, we aim to define the minimal genetic toolkit required for sexual reproduction in flowering plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This work will provide new insight into the evolution of plant reproductive development and create a compact experimental platform for studying flower formation, genome evolution, and synthetic biology in plants.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Europe\u2019s strategic vulnerability is rooted in its dependency on imported raw materials. Pharmaceutical supply chains rely on non-EU sources for key chemical precursors, while the EU also imports vast quantities of protein feeds and vegetable oils. In recent geopolitical tensions, or epidemic outbreaks, such dependencies translate into shortages, price spikes, and loss of autonomy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This project explores duckweed as a green, scalable platform for producing valuable biological raw materials for medicine, food, and renewable bio-based products within Europe. Duckweeds grow rapidly in contained aquatic systems, require little land, and can be integrated with nutrient-recycling approaches, making them attractive for decentralized and sustainable production. Building on our expertise in duckweed biology and plant synthetic biology, we aim to develop this system as a model for future low-footprint biomanufacturing, contributing to more resilient European supply chains and reduced environmental impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This project is supported by Mainzer-wissenschaftsstiftung<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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This project investigates how host choice shapes rapid adaptation in the Colorado potato beetle, a globally important agricultural pest. We combine behavioural assays, experimental evolution, population genetics, and modelling to test how oviposition and feeding preferences influence adaptation to insecticide-treated host plants. By linking niche choice with resistance evolution, the project aims to clarify how pest populations respond to strong human-imposed selection and why different behavioural and genetic strategies can coexist within populations. These insights will improve our understanding of rapid host adaptation and may inform more sustainable approaches to pest management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This project is part of SFB-TRR 212<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This project investigates how host choice shapes rapid adaptation in the Colorado potato beetle, a globally important agricultural pest. We combine behavioural assays, experimental evolution, population genetics, and modelling to test how oviposition and feeding preferences influence adaptation to insecticide-treated host plants. By linking niche choice with resistance evolution, the project aims to clarify how pest populations respond to strong human-imposed selection and why different behavioural and genetic strategies can coexist within populations. These insights will improve our understanding of rapid host adaptation and may inform more sustainable approaches to pest management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This project is part of SFB-TRR 212<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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