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Maximilian Larter
I am a plant ecophysiologist and an evolutionary biologist.
My primary research interest is understanding how plants adapt to their environment, in particular in the current climate crisis, with rapidly changing temperature and rainfall patterns. By examining functional trait distributions of living and extinct lineages, we gain insight into the evolution of key physiological traits and functions, as well as the genetic mechanisms enabling these adaptations.
This knowledge is critical to predict the impacts of climate change on the distributions of wild species and crop health.
Research Experience
Postdoc - Plant hydraulics & trait trade-offs, forest ecology and biogeography
INRAE, Bordeaux, France
2024 - 2021
- Using big trait databases and forest inventory data, we are investigating how plant functional traits (embolism resistance, frost tolerance) interact and how they shape tree species distributions and forest dynamics and ecology.
Postdoc - Herb hydraulics, positive root pressure and drought resistance in Brassicaceae
Naturalis, Leiden, The Netherlands
2021 - 2019
- This project combines classical plant hydraulics adapted to non-woody species with xylem anatomy, micro-CT and modeling to obtain a holistic picture of herb hydraulics during drought. We are notably looking at positive root pressure, which has been hypothesized to aid in recovering from drought by refilling embolised xylem conduits.
Postdoc - Evolution of the anthocyanin pathway in Iochrominae
University of Colorado, Boulder, USA
2019 - 2017
- In Iochrominae, several lineages have independently lost floral anthocyanin pigmentation altogether, resulting in white or yellow flowers. We found that the mechanism behind these fixed evolutionary losses is convergent down-expression in three downstream genes of the pigment biosynthetic pathway.
PhD - Evolution of cavitation resistance in conifers
Université de Bordeaux, France
2016 - 2012
- This thesis expands our understanding of the evolution of vascular plants regarding severe drought. We show that embolism resistance varies 9-fold across over 250 conifer species, thanks to changes in bordered-pit anatomy. Combining this unprecedented database with a calibrated phylogeny, we link embolism resistance evolution to increased diversification rate. Furthermore, we describe the remarkable evolution of Callitris xylem during the aridification of Australia over the last 30 million years.
- Supervisors: Sylvain Delzon and Jean-Christophe Domec
Research assistant - Evolutionary patterns of cavitation resistance in conifers (6 months)
Supervisor: Sylvain Delzon
Université de Bordeaux, France
2012
MSc thesis - Convergent evolution of drought tolerance in conifers (6 months)
Supervisor: Sylvain Delzon
Université de Bordeaux, France
2011
MSc thesis - Population genetics of the olive (Olea europaea) complex (2 months)
Supervisor: Guillaume Besnard
Imperial College London, UK
2010
Education
PhD in evolutionary, functional and community ecology.
Thesis: Evolution of cavitation resistance in conifers
Université de Bordeaux
Bordeaux, France
2016 - 2012
- Supervisors: Sylvain Delzon and Jean-Christophe Domec
MSc - Terrestrial Ecosystem Functioning and Modelling
Université de Bordeaux
Bordeaux, France
2011 - 2010
BSc - Organismal Biology
Université d’Orléans
Orléans, France
2008 - 2005
Publications
Y Song, XP Bouteiller, M Larter, C Plomion, F Sin, S Delzon, (2023) A safe breeding ground: genetically improved maritime pine for growth and stem form has more efficient but not more vulnerable xylem, Tree Physiology pdf
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2023
A Thonglim, G Bortolami, S Delzon, M Larter, R Offringa, F Lens et al. (2022) Drought response in Arabidopsis displays synergistic coordination between stems and leaves, Journal of Experimental Botany. pdf
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2022
A Hooft van Huysduynen, S Janssens, V Merckx, R Vos, L Valente, M Larter et al. (2021) Temporal and palaeoclimatic context of the evolution of insular woodiness in the Canary Islands, Ecology and Evolution pdf
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2021
A Thonglim, S Delzon, M Larter, O Karami, A Rahimi, R Offringa et al. (2020) Intervessel pit membrane thickness best explains variation in embolism resistance amongst stems of Arabidopsis thaliana accessions, Annals of Botany. pdf
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2020
M Larter, A Dunbar-Wallis, AE Berardi, SD Smith (2019) Developmental control of convergent floral pigmentation across evolutionary timescales, Developmental dynamics, 248 (11), 1091-1100. pdf
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2019
R Deanna, M Larter, GE Barboza, SD Smith (2019) Repeated evolution of a morphological novelty: a phylogenetic analysis of the inflated fruiting calyx in the Physalideae tribe (Solanaceae), American Journal of Botany, 106 (2), 270-279. pdf
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M Larter, A Dunbar-Wallis, AE Berardi, SD Smith (2018) Convergent evolution at the pathway level: predictable regulatory changes during flower color transitions, Molecular biology and evolution, 35 (9), 2159-2169. pdf
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2018
M Larter, S Pfautsch, JC Domec, S Trueba, N Nagalingum, S Delzon (2017) Aridity drove the evolution of extreme embolism resistance and the radiation of conifer genus Callitris, New Phytologist, 215 (1), 97-112. pdf
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2017
C Sáenz-Romero, M Larter, N González-Muñoz, C Wehenkel et al. (2017) Mexican conifers differ in their capacity to face climate change, Journal of Plant Hydraulics, 4, e003. pdf
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B Castagneyrol, H Jactel, EG Brockerhoff, N Perrette, M Larter, S Delzon et al. (2016) Host range expansion is density dependent, Oecologia, 182 (3), 779-788. pdf
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2016
M Larter (2016) The evolution of cavitation resistance in conifers. Université de Bordeaux, PhD Thesis pdf
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M Larter, TJ Brodribb, S Pfautsch, R Burlett, H Cochard, S Delzon (2015) Extreme aridity pushes trees to their physical limits, Plant Physiology, 168 (3), 804-807. pdf
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2015
PS Bouche, M Larter, JC Domec, R Burlett, P Gasson, S Jansen, S Delzon (2014) A broad survey of hydraulic and mechanical safety in the xylem of conifers, Journal of Experimental Botany, 65 (15), 4419-4431. pdf
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2014
G Besnard, J Dupuy, M Larter, P Cuneo, D Cooke, L Chikhi. (2014) History of the invasive African olive tree in Australia and Hawaii: evidence for sequential bottlenecks and hybridization with the Mediterranean olive, Evolutionary Applications, 7 (2), 195-211. pdf
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Grants and funding
Alberta Mennega Stichting fieldwork grant
1,250€
Leiden (The Netherlands)
2020
External mobility grant from the COTE Cluster of Excellence
3,000€
Bordeaux (France)
2014
Research Exchange Program (Inbound)
AU$3350
Western Sydney University, NSW (Australia)
Outreach and Press (by me)
M Larter, Le Pinetum de Bedgebury: la plus belle collection de conifères du monde, Jardins de France. pdf
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2013
Teaching Experience
Supervision of part time student project (6 months)
Embolism resistance of Mediterranean trees
BSc student C Payne
Université de Bordeaux
Lecture (1h) - The evolution of secondary woodiness
MSc course Plant Physiology
Université de Bordeaux
2021
Supervision of student project (6 months)
Xylem anatomy of embolism resistant Conifer species
MBO student H Hereijgers
Hogeschool Inholland Delft
Lecture (30 min) - Functional traits case study
MSc course Methods in Biodiversity Analysis
Leiden University
2020
Supervision of student project (6 months)
Response to drought of a giant woody cabbage cross
MSc student J van Haasteren
Leiden University
Supervision of student project (6 months)
Xylem anatomy in relation to embolism resistance in Cupressaceae
BSc student C van Kessel
Leiden University
Practical - plant physiology “lab day”
MSc course Plant Physiology
Université de Bordeaux
2012
Conferences and Presentations
Talk - “Trade off in cold and drought tolerance in trees”
Xylem International Meeting XIM5
Wurzburg (Germany)
2022
Poster - “Genetic basis of convergent evolution of the anthocyanin pathway and floral pigmentation in Iochrominae”
Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology
Tampa, Florida
2019
Talk - “Linking changes in gene expression to the macroevolution of flower color in Iochrominae (Solanaceae)”
Evolution Meeting
Portland, Oregon
2017
Talk - “Evolution of drought tolerance in conifers - Callitris in Australia”
LabEx Day (LabEx COTE)
Bordeaux (France)
2015
Talk - “The evolution of cavitation resistance in conifers and the case of world-record Callitris”
Xylem International Meeting XIM2
Bordeaux (France)
Talk - “The evolution of cavitation resistance in Conifers”
HIE Seminar Series - UWS
Richmond, NSW (Australia)
2014
Poster - “Global variation and evolution of drought tolerance in Conifers”
Journées de la Société Française de Systématique
Paris (France)
2012