Barbara Gravendeel

Barbara Gravendeel

I am a botanist and fascinated by the emerging field of evolution and development in an ecological context (eco-evodevo). I investigate how molecular mechanisms shape the morphological diversity of plant organs, both over deep evolutionary time in ancient biomes, as well as in newly created environments, most notably cities. Together with my collaborators, I work on eco-evodevo of orchid flowers, fruits and peduncles, lantern flowers and dandelion pappus.

Keywords

Development, flowers, fruits, genomics, herbaria, orchids, plants, transcriptomics, urban evolution

Prof. Dr. Barbara Gravendeel

Researcher and group leader
Evolutionary Ecology

barbara.gravendeel@naturalis.nl
+31 (0)6  106 64 277

Facebook  Facb  

Research
interest

Evolution and ecology are intimately related. Research over the last decades has shown that evolutionary changes are taking place much more rapidly than previously thought, and contribute to the ecological adaptation repertoire of species. Such adaptation mechanisms are of vital importance for species to survive in the anthropocene.

Human induced changes have become an important cause of plant evolution worldwide. More and more people live in cities nowadays and this has led to huge changes in environmental conditions and the spatial configuration of natural habitats in the landscape. Wild species are rapidly adapting to the urban biome. We investigate adaptations of urban plant species by studying museum specimens collected in areas that became increasingly urbanized over the past 200 years. We revisit these areas to recollect specimens and study traits differently selected for in urban versus non-urban environments with a suite of  micro-morphological and genetic tools.

Erycina pusilla
Cynorkis fastigiata and Epipactis helleborine

Current
topics

A selection of the topics I am working on currently.

En Tibi herbarium of tomato

Ancient tomato genomics

Past processes that shaped the current genetic diversity of the domesticated tomato are still largely unknown. Using Illumina HiSeq, we sequenced and compared full genomes from tomato accessions stored worldwide in genebanks and herbaria up to 182 years…
Read more
Shrub honeysuckle with berries

Urban fruit reflectance project

Naturalis scientists and students jointly study how light is being reflected by leaves and fruits of Dutch urban plants to better understand their dispersal. Light spectra are being collected from both native and closely related exotic species. Discoveries…
Read more

Key
publications

  • Dirks-Mulder A., Ahmed I., uit het Broek M., Krol L., Menger N., Snier J., Winzum A. van, de Wolf A., van ‘t Wout M., Zeegers J.J., Butot R., Heijungs R., van Heuven B.J. van, Kruizinga J., Langelaan R., Smets E.F., Star W., Bemer M. Gravendeel B. 2019. Morphological and molecular characterization of orchid fruit development. Frontiers in Plant Science 10: 137. 
  • Bogarin D., Perez-Escobar O.A., Groenenberg D.S.J., Karremans A.P., Lemmon A.R., Moriarty-Lemmon E.M., Pupulin F., Smets E.F., Gravendeel B. 2018. Anchored hybrid enrichment generated nuclear, plastid and mitochondrial markers resolve the Lepathes horrida (Orchidaceae: Pleurothallidinae) species complex. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 129: 27-47.
  • Dirks-Mulder, A., Butot, R., van Schaik, P., Wijnands, J.W.P.M., van den Berg, R., Krol, L., Doebar, S., van Kooperen, K., de Boer, H., Kramer, E.M., Smets, E.F., Vos, R.A., Vrijdaghs, A., Gravendeel, B. Exploring the evolutionary origin of floral organs of Erycina pusilla, an emerging orchid model system. 2017. BMC Evolutionary Biology 17: 89.
  • Merckx V.S.F.T., Hendriks K.P., Beentjes K.K., Mennes C.B., Becking L.E., Peijnenburg K.T.C.A., Afendy A., Arumugam N., de Boer H., Biun A., Buang M.M., Chen P.-P., Chung A.Y.C., Dow R., Feijen F.A.A., Feijen H., Feijen-van Soest C, Geml J., Geurts R., Gravendeel B., Hovenkamp P., Imbun P., Ipor I., Janssens S.B., Jocqué M. Kappes H., Khoo E., Koomen P., Lens F., Majapun R.J., Morgado L.N., Neupane S., Nieser N., Pereira J.T., Rahman H., Sabran S., Sawang A., Schwallier R.M., Shim P.-S., Smit H., Sol N., Spait M., Stech M., Stokvis F., Sugau J.B., Suleiman M., Sumail S., Thomas D.C., van Tol J., Tuh F.Y.Y., Yahya B.E., Nais J., Repin R., Lakim M. & Schilthuizen M. 2015. Evolution of endemism on a young tropical mountain. Nature 524: 347-350.
  • Ramirez, S.R., B. Gravendeel, R.B. Singer, C.R. Marshall & N.E. Pierce. 2007. Dating the origin of the Orchidaceae from a fossil orchid with its pollinator. Nature 448: 1042-1045.

PhD
supervision

Naturalis aims to be a breeding ground for international scientific talent. Therefore, PhD's and postdocs have a special position in our organisation.

Postdocs:

  • Sydney Wizenberg

PhDs:

  • Susanne Masters
  • Nemi Dorst
  • Anja Fischer
Cynorkis fastigiata and Epipactis helleborine

Teaching
activities

I teach the following course at Radboud University:

  • Urban Evolution (NWI-BM090) elective course in Master Biology (3 EC)

In the
media

Diligentia lezing 2024: Evolutie van bloemen vol list en bedrog

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-922taEYME

Nature Today 2024: Bloemen tellen met AI

https://www.naturetoday.com/nl/nl/nature-reports/message/?msg=32873

Nature Today 2024: Invloed van stikstof op waardplantkwaliteit  

https://www.naturetoday.com/intl/nl/nature-reports/message/?msg=32595

Inaugural lecture 2022:  Towards climate adaptive urban jungles

Pollennieuws 2021: Pollensoorten beter herkenbaar door dna-techniek

Radboud Reflects 2021: https://www.ru.nl/.../21-10-04-wilde-plant-lezing.../

Naturalis 200 year 2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rt1gTPBUNmE

Oncidiinae

Publications