Chemical Ecology
Role of chemodiversity in Tanacetum vulgare in interactions with aphids and herbivory-pollination trade-offs
Chemodiversity, the variation in chemical compounds produced by plants, plays a crucial role in plant-insect interactions. Tanacetum vulgare (common tansy) is renowned for its diverse array of specialised metabolites. These chemical compounds function as defence mechanisms against herbivores such as aphids while also influencing pollination processes. We investigate how the chemodiversity of T. vulgare is affected by herbivores and florivores and which impacts this has for trade-offs between those insects and pollinators. Therefore, we compare leaf and flower metabolites after induction events by different herbivores and florivores and perform bioassays with bumblebees and aphids.
Research unit “Ecology and Evolution of Intraspecific Chemodiversity of Plants”