Dr. Jan Hackel

My research area is the evolutionary biogeography of plants and fungi: I want to understand how patterns of distribution were shaped by speciation, extinction and dispersal. I use fieldwork, molecular lab work and modelling to study these processes.

Web profiles: ORCID | Google Scholar

Academic CV

• since 2023: Research fellow – Universität Marburg
• 2018-2022: Research fellow (Future Leader Fellowship in Plant and Fungal Science) – Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK
• 2017-2018: Assistant lecturer (Attaché temporaire d'enseignement et de recherche) – Université Toulouse III, France
• 2014-2017: PhD studies – Université Toulouse III
• 2012-2014: MSc. Biodiversity, Ecology, Evolution – Université Toulouse III
• 2008-2012: BSc. Biology – Universität Tübingen, Germany

Teaching

• Advanced course Plant diversity, BSc. + teaching
• Advanced course Biogeography and macroevolution of plants, MSc.
• Profile course Flora of Marburg in the age of citizen science and Web 4.0, MSc.
• Specialisation course Diversity and evolution of plants and associated organisms, BSc.
• Specialisation course Plant diversity, MSc.

More details on our group's teaching page.

Research priorities

Grasses and grasslands

Grasses (family Poaceae) dominate roughly 40% of global land surface. I have worked, among other things, on the origins of grasslands in Madagascar. Currently, I continue work on the grasses on Madagascar and on phylogenomics of the grass family.

Macroevolutionary processes

Distribution patterns emerge through speciation, extinction and dispersal. These macroevolutionary processes can be reconstructed using phylogenetic trees. I am interested in particular in the factors affecting the dispersal of lineages.

Plant-symbiotic fungi

Close symbiotic relationships between plants and fungi are of biogeographic interest as the distribution of both partners is interdependent. I have worked on the biogeography of ectomycorrhizal fungi in the Neotropics. I am also interested in fungal endophytes of grasses.

Selected publications

See also my full list of publications on Google Scholar.

• Antonelli A.*, Smith R.J.*, Perrigo A.L.*, Crottini A.**, Hackel J.**, Testo W.**, Farooq H., Torres Jiménez M.F., Andela N., Andermann T., Andriamanohera A.M., Andriambololonera S., Bachman S.P., Bacon C.D., Baker W.J., Belluardo F., Birkinshaw C., Borrell J.S., Cable S., Canales N.A., Carrillo J.D., Clegg R., Clubbe C., Cooke R.S.C., Damasco G., Dhanda S., Edler D., Faurby S., de Lima Ferreira P., Fisher B.L., Forest F., Gardiner L.M., Goodman S.M., Grace O.M., Guedes T.B., Henniges M.C., Hill R., Lehmann C.E.R., Lowry P.P., Marline L., Matos-Maraví P., Moat J., Neves B., Nogueira M.G.C., Onstein R.E., Papadopulos A.S.T., Perez-Escobar O.A., Phelps L.N., Phillipson P.B., Pironon S., Przelomska N.A.S., Rabarimanarivo M., Rabehevitra D., Raharimampionona J., Rajaonah M.T., Rajaonary F., Rajaovelona L.R., Rakotoarinivo M., Rakotoarisoa A.A., Rakotoarisoa S.E., Rakotomalala H.N., Rakotonasolo F., Ralaiveloarisoa B.A., Ramirez-Herranz M., Randriamamonjy J.E.N., Randriamboavonjy T., Randrianasolo V., Rasolohery A., Ratsifandrihamanana A.N., Ravololomanana N., Razafiniary V., Razanajatovo H., Razanatsoa E., Rivers M., Sayol F., Silvestro D., Vorontsova M.S., Walker K., Walker B.E., Wilkin P., Williams J., Ziegler T., Zizka A., Ralimanana H.** (2022): Madagascar’s extraordinary biodiversity: Evolution, distribution, and use. Science 378: eabf0869. (*Co-lead authors; **section leads)
• Hackel J., Henkel T.W., Moreau P.-A., Courtecuisse R., Buyck B., De Crop E., Verbeken A., Neves M.A., Wartchow F., Sà M., Louisanna E., Schimann H., Garnica S., Manzi S., Roy M. (2022): Biogeographic history of a large clade of ectomycorrhizal fungi, the Russulaceae, in the Neotropics and adjacent regions. New Phytologist 236: 698-713.
• Hackel J., Sanmartín I. (2021): Modelling the tempo and mode of lineage dispersal. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 36: 1102–1112.  [Open-Access PDF]
• Vorontsova M.S., Besnard G., Razanatsoa J., Hackel J. (2020): The endemic “sugar canes” of Madagascar (Saccharinae: Lasiorhachis) are close relatives of sorghum. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 192: 148-164.
• Bianconi M.*, Hackel J.*, Vorontsova M.S., Alberti A., Arthan W., Burke S.V., Duvall M.R., Kellogg E.A., Lavergne S., McKain M.R., Meunier A., Osborne C.P., Traiperm P., Christin P.-A., Besnard G. (2019): Continued adaptation of C₄ photosynthesis after an initial burst of changes in the Andropogoneae grasses. Systematic Biology 69: 445-461. (*co-lead authors)
• Hackel J., Vorontsova M.S., Nanjarisoa O.P., Hall R., Razanatsoa J., Malakasi P., Besnard G. (2018): Grass diversification in Madagascar: In situ radiation of two large C₃ shade clades and support for a Miocene to Pliocene origin of C₄ grassy biomes. Journal of Biogeography 45: 750-761.

Editorial activity

• Associate editor, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society
• Guest editor, Plants, People, Planet, special collection "Madagascar’s grassy biomes, from Holocene to Anthropocene"

Public outreach

Blog articles for Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew:

• Climbing Madagascar's highest mountain II (2022)
• Fungi in the Neotropics: on the move for millions of years (2022)
• Maize’s missing cousins: Shedding light on photosynthesis (2019)