Dipl.-Biol. Dr. Veronika E. Mayer
Assistant Professor (half-time)
4. floor, room 411
t: +43 (0)1 4277-540 81
m: veronika.mayer@univie.ac.at
Research interests
At the core of my research lies the complex and dynamic connectivity of plants linking them to their environment. I am particularly fascinated by mutualisms between plants and insects and their structural adaptation and reciprocal interaction. Currently, I am working on plants living with mutualistic ants (myrmecophytes) and investigating (a) the intriguing role of fungi as third partner in ant-plant associations, and (b) the sophisticated forms of communication between host plants and their inhabiting ants. The model systems I am focusing on are the Cecropia spp.-Azteca spp. ant-plant mutualism and Piper spp.-Pheidole bicornis system.
Besides ants and plants, the functional aspects of accessory fruit structures are still fascinating to me. Specifically, I address the structural background and radiation processes in several Dipsacaceae groups.
Projects
- Species interactions and their impact on nutrient recycling in ant-made fungal patches (FWF-Project P 31990-B)
- Phylogeny and evolution of ant-cultivated Chaetothyriales (Ascomycota)
- Microbial community analysis in the neotropical ant-plant association: Azteca spp. – Cecropia spp.
- Ecological processes in the fungal patches cultivated by arboreal ants
- Food sources in the Cecropia-Azteca ant-plant association
- Volatiles in myrmecophytic host-plants and their impact on ant-behaviour
Teaching
Cooperations
- Rumsais Blatrix, Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, CNRS, Montpellier, France
- Stefan Dötterl, Organismic Biology, Department of Ecology, Biodiversity and Evolution of Plants, University of Salzburg, Austria
- Lena Fragner, Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, University of Vienna, Austria
- Sybren de Hoog, Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institut, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Christina Kaiser, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Division Terrestrial Ecosystem Research, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Adrián Pinto Tomas, Centro de Investigación en Estructuras Microscópicas (CIEMIC), Universidad de Costa Rica, Costa Rica
- Andreas Richter, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Division Terrestrial Ecosystem Research, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Hermann Voglmayr, Department of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, University of Vienna, Austria
- Dagmar Woebken, Research network CMM, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Division Microbial Ecology, University of Vienna, Austria
Curriculum Vitae
Current position
- 1997– Assistant professor (half-time)
Education and scientific career
- 1999–2005 Associate Editor of the journal TAXON and Regnum Vegetabile (IAPT)
- 1993–1996 Research assistant in projects on systematics and morphology of Dipsacaceae, and the function of their fruit structures at the University of Vienna (Austria)
- 1988–1993 Dissertation at the University of Vienna (Austria)
- 1989–1991 Fellow of the "Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes"
- 1981–1987 Study of Biology at the LMU Munich and FU Berlin, Diploma from the FU Berlin (Germany)
- 1986/87 DAAD Fellow at the UC Berkeley (USA)
Publications
2023
Gegenbauer, C., Bellaire, A., Schintlmeister, A., Schmid, M. C., Kubicek, M., Voglmayr, H., Zotz, G., Richter, A., & Mayer, V. (2023). Exo- and endophytic fungi enable rapid transfer of nutrients from ant waste to orchid tissue. New Phytologist. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.18761
2022
Nepel, M., Pfeifer, J., Oberhauser, F. B., Richter, A., Woebken, D., & Mayer, V. E. (2022). Nitrogen fixation by diverse diazotrophic communities can support population growth of arboreal ants. BMC Biology, 20(1), [135]. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12915-022-01289-0
Quan, Y., da Silva, N. M., de Souza Lima, B. J. F., de Hoog, S., Vicente, V. A., Mayer, V., Kang, Y., & Shi, D. (2022). Black fungi and ants: a genomic comparison of species inhabiting carton nests versus domatia. IMA Fungus, 13, 1-13. [4]. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43008-022-00091-5
2021
Mayer, V. E., de Hoog, S., Cristescu, S. M., Vera, L., & Prenafeta-Boldú, F. X. (2021). Volatile Organic Compounds in the Azteca/Cecropia Ant-Plant Symbiosis and the Role of Black Fungi. Journal of Fungi, 7(10), [836]. https://doi.org/10.3390/jof7100836
Quan, Y., Ahmed, S. A., Menezes da Silva, N., Al-Hatmi, A. M. S., Mayer, V., Deng, S., Kang, Y., Sybren de Hoog, G., & Shi, D. (2021). Novel black yeast-like species in chaetothyriales with ant-associated life styles. Fungal Biology, 125(4), 276-284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.funbio.2020.11.006
Singh, A., Mayer, V., Zytynska, S. E., Hesse, B., & Weisser, W. W. (2021). The Efficiency of Plant Defense: Aphid Pest Pressure Does Not Alter Production of Food Rewards by Okra Plants in Ant Presence. Frontiers in Plant Science, 12, 1-13. [627570]. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.627570
2020
Svoma, E., Mayer, V., Stuessy, T. F., & Urtubey, E. (2020). Staminal features in Barnadesioideae (Asteraceae): description, evolution and function. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 192(3), 474-497. https://doi.org/10.1093/botlinnean/boz091
2019
Moreno, L. F., Mayer, V., Voglmayr, H., Blatrix, R., Stielow, J. B., Teixeira, M. M., Vicente, V. A., & de Hoog, S. (2019). Genomic analysis of ant domatia-associated melanized fungi (Chaetothyriales, Ascomycota). Mycological Progress, 18(4), 541-552. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11557-018-01467-x
Busch, J. S., & Mayer, V. (2019). Surface structures of Cecropia plants as landmarks for orientation of ant foundress queens? Acta ZooBot Austria , 156, 135-144.
2018
Mayer, V., Nepel, M., Blatrix, R., Oberhauser, F. B., Fiedler, K., Schönenberger, J., & Voglmayr, H. (2018). Transmission of fungal partners to incipient Cecropia-tree ant colonies. PLoS ONE, 13(2), [e0192207]. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0192207
Mayer, V., Nepel, M., Richter, A., Kaiser, C., & Voglmayr, H. (2018). Fungal patches in ant-plant associations: initiation and metabolic activity. In Workshop Black Fungi post-ISHAM: Abstract Book (pp. 24)
Nepel, M., Richter, A., Kaiser, C., Wöbken, D., & Mayer, V. (2018). Microorganisms putatively involved in nutrient recycling of ant-plant associations by degrading chitin and cellulose. In 17th International Symposium on Microbial Ecology: Abstract book (pp. 66)
2017
Mayer, V. E., Lauth, J., & Orivel, J. (2017). Convergent structure and function of mycelial galleries in two unrelated Neotropical plant-ants. Insectes Sociaux, 64(3), 365-371. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-017-0554-y
Vasse, M., Voglmayr, H., Mayer, V., Gueidan, C., Nepel, M., Moreno, L., de Hoog, S., Selosse, M-A., Mckey, D., & Blatrix, R. (2017). A phylogenetic perspective on the association between ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and black yeasts (Ascomycota: Chaetothyriales). Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences, 284(1850), [20162519]. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2016.2519
Mayer, V., Blatrix, R., & Voglmayr, H. (2017). Evolutionary and functional ecology of ant-plant-fungus symbioses. In 16th International Symposium on Insect-Plant Relationships: Abstractbook (pp. 105). [Poster 21]
2016
Nepel, M., Voglmayr, H., Blatrix, R., Longino, J. T., Fiedler, K., Schönenberger, J., & Mayer, V. (2016). Ant-cultivated Chaetothyriales in hollow stems of myrmecophytic Cecropia sp. trees – diversity and patterns. Fungal Ecology, 23, 131-140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.funeco.2016.07.007
Mayer, V. (2016). Dipsacaceae (inclusive Triplostegia). In J. W. Kadereit, & V. Bittrich (Eds.), Flowering Plants. Eudicots: Aquifoliales, Boraginales, Bruniales, Dipsacales, Escalloniales, Garryales, Paracryphiales, Solanales (except Convolvulaceae), Icacinaceae, Metteniusaceae, Vahliaceae (Vol. 14, pp. 145-164). Springer International Publishing. The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28534-4_11
2014
Nepel, M., Voglmayr, H., Schönenberger, J., & Mayer, V. (2014). High diversity and low specificity of chaetothyrialean fungi in carton galleries in a Neotropical ant–plant association. PLoS ONE, 9(11), [e112756]. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0112756
2013
Nakamura, Y., Reichelt, M., Mayer, V., & Mithoefer, A. (2013). Jasmonates trigger prey-induced formation of 'outer stomach' in carnivorous sundew plants. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences, 280(1759), [20130228]. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.0228
Arranz, S. E., Avarre, J-C., Balasundaram, C., Bouza, C., Calcaterra, N. B., Cezilly, F., Chen, S-L., Cipriani, G., Cruz, V. P., D'Esposito, D., Daniel, C., Dejean, A., Dharaneedharan, S., Diaz, J., Du, M., Durand, J-D., Dziadek, J., Foresti, F., Fu Peng-Cheng, N. V., ... Molecular Ecology Resources Primer Development Consortium (2013). Permanent Genetic Resources added to Molecular Ecology Resources Database 1 December 2012 - 31 January 2013. Molecular Ecology Resources, 13(3), 546-549. https://doi.org/10.1111/1755-0998.12095