Nerea Perez Andres joins MIE for BSc internship

Nerea Perez Andres

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Molecular Interaction Ecology welcomes Nerea Perez Andres from Maastricht University (the Netherlands) to the group. Together with Dr. Fredd Vergara, Nerea will study the chemical profiles of root- and shoot exudates of the bittersweet nightshade Solanum dulcamara. Recent results produced at iDiv show that chemical profiles of S. dulcamara shoots differ between populations originating from different regions of the Netherlands. The exudates differed in the number and relative concentrations of steroidal glycoalkaloids, which are important defense metabolites produced in response to herbivory. However, it is unknown whether the same differences are visible in root exudates.

To address this issue, Nerea will collect root exudates from S. dulcamara plants grown in specialized rhizonboxes. She will then analyze the collected samples with liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole/time-of-flight mass spectrometry to study their chemical profile. The results obtained from Nerea’s experiments will increase our understanding of the organic chemistry of the rhizosphere of S. dulcamara and the evolution of root exudate chemistry.

Welcome and good luck Nerea!

Click here for more information on Nerea’s project.