icon-symbol-logout-darkest-grey

Biodiversity and Plant systematicsDr. Christiane Kiefer

Research interests

My research interests focus on different evolutionary questions in the Brassicaceae. Past and present projects are ranging from phylogeography (e.g. as in Koch et al. 2006, Kiefer et al. 2009) to questions related to trait evolution (e.g. as in Kiefer et al. 2017, Kiefer et al. 2019). I like to make use of comparative genomics for getting insights into genome evolution and for getting a hand on candidate genes related to traits of interest. 

For me one of the most exciting and complex traits is life history (further reading Kiefer et al. 2019). Broadly speaking life history can be divided into two strategies among flowering plants: annual plants complete their life cycle in one year and usually flower once while perennial plants live for many years and typically go through recurrent periods of reproduction.

The annual life history has evolved multiple times independently on family but also tribal and genus level in the Brassicaceae. Comparative genomic approaches across the Brassicaceae can help to shed light on the evolution of life history and may indicate putative candidate genes which play a role in the expression of this complex trait.

 

Publications

Table filters

Table

Agerbirk N., Hansen C.C., Kiefer C., Hauser T.P., Ørgaard M., Bruun Asmussen Lange C., Cipollini D., Koch M.A.
2021
Comparison of glucosinolate diversity in the crucifer tribe Cardamineae and the remaining order Brassicales highlights repetitive evolutionary loss and gain of biosynthetic steps.
Phytochemistry.
Kiefer C.
2021
Genomevolution bei Pflanzen.
essentials. Springer Spektrum, Wiesbaden.
Agerbirk N., Hansen C.C., Olsen C.E., Kiefer C., Hauser T.P., Christensen S., Jensen Rysbjerg K., Ørgaard M., Bruun Asmussen Lange C., Cipollini D., Koch M.A.
2021
Glucosinolate profiles and phylogeny in Barbarea compared to other tribe Cardamineae (Brassicaceae) and Reseda (Resedaceae), based on a library of ion trap HPLC-MS/MS data of reference desulfoglucosinolates.
Phytochemistry.
Kiefer, C., Bergonzi, S., Brand, L., Wötzel, S., Koch M.A.
2019
Contrasting life history traits in monocarpic versus polycarpic plants from a molecular-evolutionary point of view.
Annual Plant Reviews 2: 1-25.
Mable B.K., Brysting A.K., Jørgensen, M.H., Carbonell A.K. Z., Kiefer, C., Ruiz-Duarte P., Lagesen K., Koch M. A.
2018
Adding Complexity to Complexity: Gene Family Evolution in Polyploids.
Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 6.
Mau M., Lovell J.T., Corral J.M., Kiefer C., Koch M.A., Aliyu O.M., McKay J., Sharbel T.F.
2015
Hybrid apomicts trapped in the ecological niches of their sexual ancestors.
PNAS May 5, 2015 vol. 112 no. 18 E2357-E2365
Karl R., Kiefer C., Ansell S., Koch M.A.
2012
Systematics and evolution of arctic-alpine Arabis alpina L. (Brassicaceae) and its closest relatives in the eastern Mediterranean.
Amer. J Bot. 99: 778-794.
Wang, R., Albani, M.C., Vincent, C., Bergonzi, S., Luan, M., Bai, Y., Kiefer, C., Castillo, R., Coupland, G.
2011
Aa TFL1 confers an age-dependent response to vernalization in perennial Arabis alpina.
Plant Cell 23, 1307-1321.
Koch M.A., Karl R., Kiefer C., Al-Shebaz I.A.
2010
Colonizing the American continent - Systematics of the genus Arabis in North America (Brassicaceae).
Amer. J. Bot. 97: 1040-1057.
Tröndle D., Schröder S., Kassemeyer H.H., Kiefer C., Koch M.A., Nick P.
2010
Molecular Phylogeny of the Genus Vitis Based on Plastidic Markers.
Am J Bot 97: 1168-1178.
Schurr U., Weyen J., Coupland G., Kiefer C., Simon R., Müller A.
2010
SynRg ? Biotechnologie zur Steigerung von Ertrag und Ertragsstabilität nachwachsender Rohstoffe.
Chemie Ingenieur Technik 82(9): 1522-2640.
Kiefer C., Dobe? C., Koch, M.
2009
Boechera or not? Phylogeny and phylogeograpy of eastern North American Boechera species (Brassicaceae).
Taxon 58 (4): 1109-1121.
Kiefer C., Dobes C., Sharbel T., Koch M.
2009
Phylogeographic structure of the chloroplast DNA genepool in North American Boechera - a genus and continental wide perspective.
Mol. Phyl. Evol. 52 (2): 303-311.
Dobe? Ch., Koch M., Kiefer, C.
2007
Apomixis and radiation at low ploidy levels exemplified in the evolutionary model genus Boechera (Brassicaceae).
Regnum Vegetabile 147 : 391-412.
Dobe? C., Kiefer C., Kiefer M., Koch M.
2007
Platsidic trnfUUC pseudogenes in North American genus Boechera (Brassicaceae): mechanistic aspects of evolution.
Plant Biology 9: 502-515.
Koch M., Dobe? C., Kiefer C., Schmickl R., Klimes L., Koch M.A.
2007
Supernetwork identifies multiple events of plastid trnF(GAA) pseudogene evolution in the Brassicaceae.
Mol. Biol. Evol. 24: 63-73.
Koch, M., Kiefer, C.
2006
Molecules and migration: biogeographical studies in cruciferous plants.
Plant Systematics and Evolution 259 (2-4): 121-142.
Koch, M., Kiefer, C., Vogel, J., Ehrich, D., Brochmann, C., Mummenhoff, K.
2006
Three times out of Asia Minor - the phylogeography of Arabis alpina L (Brassicaceae).
Molecular Ecology; 15 : 825-839.