RP10: Uncovering the epigenetic component of plant-herbivore interactions

  • PhD Supervisor(s): Conchita Alonso & Mónica Medrano
  • Host Institution: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas - Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
  • Duration: 36 months
  • Fixed start date: 1 April 2018
  • Planned secondment(s): Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, NL; Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (GE); Wissenschaft im Dialog, Berlin (GE).  

Plant species can defend against herbivore damage in different ways. Mounting evidence indicates that epigenetic regulation can modulate such responses, including priming and maternal effects on resistance. Still, our understanding of epigenetic contribution to plant-herbivore interactions is fragmentary.

In this project we aim to evaluate the role of DNA methylation in plant responses to herbivory by screening the effects of herbivory in DNA methylation, resistance traits, and individual performance in the focal species of EpiDiverse. Further, the potential for transgeneration inherited effects and causal involvement of DNA methylation will be experimentally tested under controlled conditions in short-lived species.

Contact information