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 (with [former] lab members in boldface):

1. Kagame SP, Eserman LA, Leebens-Mack JH, Rattanakrajang P, Asselman P, Kathambi V, Ngima SW, Mutiso PC, Muigai AWT, Simões ARG, Chatrou LW. 2026. 2026. Disentangling a “big genus”; unwinding Ipomoeeae s.l. (Convolvulaceae) using Angiosperms353-guided classical phylogenetic approach. Annals of Botany, in press

2. Chatrou LW, Lara Guerrero S, Gees L, & Fonseca LHM. 2025. Two new rarely collected species of Annonaceae from the Peruvian Amazon. PhytoKeys 262: 1-15.

3. Fonseca LHM, Asselman P, Goodrich KR, Nge FJ, Soulé V, Mercier K, Couvreur TLP, Chatrou LW. 2024. Truly the best of both worlds: merging lineage-specific and universal baiting kits to maximize phylogenomic inference. Application in Plant Sciences 12: e11615.

https://doi.org/10.1002/aps3.11615

4. Zuntini, AR., Carruthers T, Maurin O, Bailey PC, …  Chatrou LW... Fabriani F... Simões ARG…   W.L. Eiserhardt, F. Forest & W.J. Baker [277 authors]. 2024. Phylogenomics and the rise of the angiosperms. Nature 629: 843-850. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07324-0

5. Van Damme L, Chatrou LW, de la Peña E, Kibungu P, Van Damme P, Vanhove W, Ceuterick M, De Meyer E. 2024. Plant use and perceptions in the context of sexual health among people of Congolese descent in Belgium. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 20: 20. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-024-00662-3

6. ​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. https://doi.org/10.1111/1755-0998.13353

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