1. Natural History and Behavioral Ecology

Research leader: Prof. Dr. Franky Bossuyt

Natural history research is focussed on the Indian subcontinent and in the neotropical Pantepui area. The aim of this line of research is to further contribute to the discovery of biodiversity, and to investigate amphibian behavioral patterns. Behavioral ecology is currently mainly focussed on discovery and study of pheromones in the three orders of amphibians. Pheromones have often been found to be species-specific and therefore are likely to have played a key role in the sexual isolation of populations. We are using an integration of transcriptome analyses, peptidome analyses, functional assays, and phylogenetic analyses to identify and characterize novel pheromones in multiple amphibian families. We study the evolution of these molecules by mapping diversity and function on well-supported phylogenies.

2. Antimicrobial Peptides and Toxins

Research leader: Dr. Kim Roelants

Amphibians stand out among vertebrates by specialized skin glands that secrete a rich cocktail of bioactive molecules upon stress or injury. A major part of these molecules have been characterized as analogs of vertebrate hormones and metabolic proteins, and they are thought to act as defensive toxins, capable to interfere with various physiological pathways in a wide range of predators. A second part is composed of gene-encoded antimicrobial peptides that provide a first line of defense against infectious microorganisms, making up a key part of the innate immune system. Both types of molecules represent integrated parts of a sophisticated molecular defense weapon, whose study is highly lucrative for research fields as diverse as evolutionary biology, conservation biology, and pharmacology. We are using an integrative approach to identify and characterize novel antimicrobial peptides and toxins in the amphibian skin.

3. Ecological physiology

Research leader: Dr. Ines Van Bocxlaer

Amphibians appear poorly adapted to life on land and are therefore commonly associated with cool, aquatic or moist habitats. Nevertheless, they can be found in various terrestrial areas and even occupy dry desserts, Arctic tundra and brackish mangrove swamps. To optimize physiological requirements, they evolved an array of morphological, behavioral and physiological adaptations. To regulate water household, for example, they evolved the production of mucus from specialized glands, the construction of specialized nests that protect eggs from desiccation, encapsulation of adults during dry periods, optimized cutaneous drinking, and recuperation of water from the bladder. The aim of this new line of research is to investigate the ecological success of amphibians with respect to ecophysiological strategies.

Research

Our research centers around the use of molecular phylogenies to elucidate evolutionary patterns, and the processes that produce them, in amphibians. We are trying to understand the relationship between tempo and mode of evolution in relation to biogeography, speciation, morphological diversification, chemical communication, toxin evolution and physiology. Most of our studies find their roots in ecological observations during field work. What kind of chemical information exactly are male newts transmitting when continuously fanning their tail to females? How can some species of amphibians survive, as egg, larva and adult, in arid environments where most species would die within hours? We tackle this kind of questions using modern integrative biology, combining fieldwork and biological assays with lab expertise in transcriptomics, proteomics, genomics and phylogenetics. Our current research can be divided in three distinct, but sometimes closely intertwined themes:

1. 1.Natural History and Behavioral Ecology              Research leader: Prof. Dr. Franky Bossuyt
   

2. 2.Antimicrobial Peptides and Toxins                       Research leader: Dr. Kim Roelants
   

3. 3.Ecological physiology                                              Research leader: Dr. Ines Van Bocxlaer