Our lab is fascinated by questions on the evolution of tropical plants, concentrating on the following research lines:

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- [Systematics] documenting plant diversity and inferring phylogenetic relationships;

- [Biogeography] investigating the origin of large scale geographic patterns in plants;

- [Evolution] understanding the adaptational value and evolutionary history of selected plant traits (e.g. roots, pollen, flower scent).

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Our multidisciplinary team uses an integrative approach, combining phylogenomics, ecology, reproductive biology, macro- and micro-morphology, anatomy, and chemical profiling. Current projects focus on Magnoliids (Annonaceae and Magnoliaceae), Convolvulaceae, and other plant families, with emphasis on tropical Africa and the Neotropics (Central and South America).

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Selected publications:

1. Simões ARG, Eserman LA, Zuntini AR, Chatrou LW, Utteridge TMA, Maurin O, Rokni S, Roy S, Forest F, Baker WJ, Stefanović S. 2022. A bird’s eye view of the systematics of Convolvulaceae: novel insights from nuclear genomic data. Frontiers in Plant Science 13: 889988.

2. Veltjen E, Testé E, Palmarola Bejerano A, Asselman P, Hernández Rodríguez M, González Torres LR, Chatrou LW, Goetghebeur P, Larridon I, Samain MS. 2022. The evolutionary history of the Caribbean magnolias (Magnoliaceae): testing species delimitations and biogeographical hypotheses using molecular data. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 167: 107359.

3. Hoekstra PH, Wieringa JJ, Maas PJM, Chatrou LW. 2021. Revision of the African species of Monanthotaxis (Annonaceae). Blumea 66: 107-221.

4. Fonseca, LHM. 2021. Combining molecular and geographical data to infer the phylogeny of Lamiales and its dispersal patterns in and out of the tropics. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 164: 107287.

5. ​Strijk JS, Hinsinger DD, Roeder MM, Chatrou LW, Couvreur TLP, Erkens RHJ, Sauquet H, Pirie MD, Thomas DC, Cao K.  2021. Chromosome-level reference genome of the soursop (Annona muricata): a new resource for Magnoliid research and tropical pomology. Molecular Ecology Resources 21: 1608-1619.

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