Droevendaalsesteeg 10
6708 PB Wageningen
The Netherlands
Koen Verhoeven
Over
I am an ecological geneticist with a broad interest in plant adaptation. I study the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms by which plants cope with, and adapt to, rapidly changing environments.
Biografie
My research uses genetic and genomic tools and applies them in ecologically relevant contexts in order to understand how plant populations respond to changing environments. One of my research interests is in ecological epigenetics: what role does epigenetic variation play in ecology and microevolution? Other topics that I work on include genetic and ecological aspects of plant invasions, the evolutionary ecology of asexually reproducing plants, intraspecific variation in plant-microbiome interactions, and urban evolution in plants.
Onderzoeksgroepen
Onderzoeksexpertise
Adaptation Ecological genomics Epigenetics Evolution Molecular ecology Plant ecologyCV
Employment
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2015–Presentsenior researcher, Netherlands Institute of Ecology
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2010–2015Tenure track researcher, Netherlands Institute of Ecology. Personal NWO-VIDI grant 2011-2016
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2009–2010Postdoc, Netherlands Institute of Ecology; and Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University
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2005–2009Postdoc, Netherlands Institute of Ecology. Personal NWO-VENI grant
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2003–2005Postdoc, Computational Genomics, Purdue University, Indiana USA
Education
1998–2003
PhD project, Utrecht University, in collaboration with Netherlands Institute of Ecology and Haifa University
PhD students
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2018–PresentCristian Peña Ponton
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2018–PresentMorgane van Antro
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2019–PresentPaola Rallo
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2013–2016Jun Shi
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2011–2016Thomas van Gurp
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2011–2015Veronica Preite
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2011–2015Maartje Groot
Projecten & samenwerkingen
Projecten
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Linking space to time in ecology: Urban Evolution in Dandelions
Urban environments are ever expanding and differ markedly from natural and rural ecosystems. Cities are good test cases for the adaptive capacity of plants and animals in a rapidly changing world.
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Intraspecific variation in grass microbiome interaction
Through association with beneficial bacteria and fungi, plants can express increased growth via improved nutrient uptake, disease resistance, and abiotic stress tolerance.
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Environmental and transgenerational dynamics of DNA methylation in plants with different life histories
This project is a component of the EpiDiverse MSCA-ITN European training network. DNA methylation variants can arise spontaneously, they can be under genetic control or they can be induced by environments. In plants, some DNA methylation variants are stable across many generations whereas other variants are very transient. A good understanding of the transgenerational dynamics of DNA methylation variants is essential to understand their impact on heritable traits and their effect on adaptation.
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Epigenetic contribution to phenotypic plasticity in Populus nigra
This project is a component of the EpiDiverse MSCA-ITN European training network. In long-lived sessile organisms such as trees, phenotypic plasticity is an important requirement for successful persistence in changing or variable environments. Epigenetic mechanisms have the potential to mediate long-term plastic responses to environmental change. However, the importance of epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation as regulators of adaptive plasticity is not well known.
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Epigenetics of animal personality: DNA methylation and its influence on exploratory behaviour in great tits
Recent studies have shown that early developmental effects and environmental conditions experienced by parents also affect personality traits, even over multiple generations. Yet, the mechanisms underlying such transgenerational regulation remain unknown, while determining them is crucial to understand how development affects heritable traits in evolutionary processes.
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Linking Ecology, Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics in plant epigenetic research
Linking Ecology, Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics in plant epigenetic research
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Developing bioinformatics tools for future metabolomics data analysis
Developing bioinformatics tools for future metabolomics data analysis.
Getagd in
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Boekpresentatie Epigenetica
Op 21 december wordt het cahier Epigenetica: Hetzelfde DNA, maar toch anders. Hoe kan dat? gepresenteerd met een boekpresentatie in Museum Boerhaave.
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Biodiversiteit
Waarom en hoe onderzoekt het NIOO biodiversiteit en op welke manier zetten we deze kennis in?
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Klimaatverandering
In hoeverre kan natuur weerstand bieden tegen klimaatverandering? Het NIOO onderzoekt de ecologische gevolgen, ook voor advies aan beleidsmakers en anderen.
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Veel sneller en goedkoper DNA-schakelaars van plant & dier achterhalen
Het vakgebied van de epigenetica is internationaal booming. Ook binnen de ecologie, waar het nu eindelijk volwassen is door een nieuwe onderzoekstechniek. “Het is goedkoper, sneller en je kunt onderzoek doen dat eerder onmogelijk was.” Tijd om te kijken hoe belangrijk epigenetische veranderingen precies zijn voor het omgaan met klimaatverandering, plagen en andere stress. De onderzoekers publiceren nu onder leiding van het Nederlands Instituut voor Ecologie (NIOO-KNAW) hun techniek in Nature Methods.