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
2008
Weissenhofer, A., Huber, W., Mayer, V., Pamperl, S., Weber, A., & Aubrecht, G. (Eds.) (2008). Natural and Cultural History of the Golfo Dulce Region, Costa Rica. Biologiezentrum. Stapfia
Weissenhofer, A., Barquero, M., Huber, W., Mayer, V., & Umana, J. N. (2008). The Biological Corridor Project in the
Piedras Blancas National Park, Costa Rica.
A project to preserve the biodiversity by reforestation
and alternative culture, with support of the
community La Gamba by new marketing strategies / El proyecto de corredor biológico en el
Parque Nacional Piedras Blancas, Costa Rica.
Un proyecto para preservar la biodiversidad mediante la
reforestación y cultivos alternativos, con el apoyo de la
comunidad de la Gamba de nuevas estrategias de
comercialización. In A. Weissenhofer (Ed.), Natural and cultural history of the Golfo Dulce Region, Costa Rica: Historia natural y cultural de la región del Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica (pp. 715-723). Biologiezentrum. Stapfia Vol. 88
Schaber, D., Mayer, V., & Hadacek, F. (2008). Volatiles of myrmecophytic Piper plants signal stem tissue damage to inhabiting Pheidole ant-partners. Journal of Ecology, 96(5), 962-970.
2006
Mayer, V. (2006). Piper sp. and its inhabiting ant Pheidole bicornis: Do they communicate? Beiträge zur Naturkunde Oberösterreichs, 16.
2005
Stuessy, T., Mayer, V., & Hörandl, E. (2005). Editorial. Taxon: international journal of plant taxonomy, phylogeny and evolution, 54, 857-857.
Mayer, V., Ölzant, S., & Fischer, R. (2005). Myrmecochorous Seed Dispersal in Temperate Regions. In P. M. Forget, J. E. Lambert, P. E. Hulme, & S. B. Vander Wall (Eds.), Seed fate: predation, dispersal and seedling establishment (pp. 175-195). CABI Publishing. doi.org/10.1079/9780851998060.0175
Fischer, R., Ölzant, S., Wanek, W., & Mayer, V. (2005). The fate of Corydalis cava elaiosomes within an ant colony of Myrmica rubra: Elaiosomes are preferentially fed to larvae. Insectes Sociaux, 52(1), 55-62. www.scopus.com/scopus/inward/record.url
2003
Stuessy, T., Mayer, V., & Hörandl, E. (Eds.) (2003). Deep Morphology: toward a renaissance of morphology in plant systematics. Gantner. Regnum vegetabile Vol. 141
Fischer, R., Wanek, W., Richter, A., & Mayer, V. (2003). Do ants feed plants? A 15N labelling study of nitrogen fluxes from ants to plants in the mutualism of Pheidole and Piper. Journal of Ecology, 91(1), 126-134. doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2745.2003.00747.x
Mayer, V., Möller, M., Perret, M., & Weber, A. (2003). Phylogenetic position and generic differentiation of Epithemateae (Gesneriaceae) inferred from plastid DNA sequence data. American Journal of Botany: the journal for all plant biologists, 90(2), 321-329.
2002
Weber, A., Jang, C-G., Pfosser, M., Mayer, V., Kiehn, M., & Perret, M. (2002). Classification of Old World Gesneriaceae: solved and open problems. In Q. Cronk, & M. Mendum (Eds.), Gesneriaceae Workshop. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 25.-28.9.2002 Unknown publisher.
Stuessy, T., Hörandl, E., & Mayer, V. (2002). Electronic modernizations. Taxon: international journal of plant taxonomy, phylogeny and evolution, 51, 257-257.
Fischer, R., Richter, A., Wanek, W., & Mayer, V. (2002). Las plantas alimentan a las hormigas y las hormigas a las plantas: Piper y Pheidole. In R. Churio, & J. Orlando (Eds.), Libro de Resúmenes Octavo Congreso Latinoamericano y Segundo Colombiano de Botánica: Cartagena de Indias 13-18 de octubre de 2002 Universidad Nacional de Colombia.
Fischer, R., Richter, A., Wanek, W., & Mayer, V. (2002). Plants feed ants: Food bodies of myrmecophytic Piper and their significance for the interaction with Pheidole bicornis ants. Oecologia, 133(2), 186-192. www.scopus.com/scopus/inward/record.url
Mayer, V. (2002). Tetrathylacium macrophyllum (Flacourtiaceae) y su socio mirmec-fito Azteca. In R. Churio, & J. Orlando (Eds.), Libro de Resúmenes Octavo Congreso Latinoamericano y Segundo Colombiano de Botánica: Cartagena de Indias 13-18 de octubre de 2002 (pp. 267-267). Universidad Nacional de Colombia.
Stuessy, T., Hörandl, E., & Mayer, V. (2002). Timel change. Taxon: international journal of plant taxonomy, phylogeny and evolution, 51, 3-4.
2001
Ölzant, S., Mayer, V., & Krückl, B. (2001). Components of myrmecochorous diaspores as signals in ant dispersal. In R. Fischer (Ed.), Pflanzliche Signale in Tier-Pflanze-Interaktionen: Tagungsband, Ulm, 9.-10. November 2001 (pp. 46-46). Unknown publisher.
Stuessy, T., Hörandl, E., & Mayer, V. (2001). Insights on processes of plant evolution. Taxon: international journal of plant taxonomy, phylogeny and evolution, 50, 5-6.
Stuessy, T., Hörandl, E., & Mayer, V. (2001). New assessments of plant diversity. Taxon: international journal of plant taxonomy, phylogeny and evolution, 50, 343-344.
Fischer, R., Mayer, V., Richter, A., & Wanek, W. (2001). Piper and Pheidole: interactions and signals in a neotropical plant-ant symbiosis. 39-39. Paper presented at Pflanzliche Signale in Tier-Pflanzen-Interaktionen, Ulm, Germany.