Chemical ecology · Comparative biochemistry

The chemistry of life's interactions.

We study how chemical diversity evolves—and how it shapes the relationships between plants, fungi, and their environments.

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Do plants have something to say? An illustrated overview of plant chemical communication, leaf traits, and interactions with insects and fungi. — Do plants have something to say? View the full illustration ↗

Our research

Understanding diversity.
Connecting scales.

Based at Louisiana State University, our group brings together chemical ecology, comparative biochemistry, and evolutionary biology. We connect molecules to traits and species interactions, from individual cells to landscapes.

01 / Research theme

Macroevolution of plant chemodiversity

Diagram connecting plant evolutionary relationships, geography, leaf mineral nutrition, and chemical traits.

Across species and evolutionary lineages, we connect leaf chemistry, nutrition, and physiology to understand the evolution of growth and defense.

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02 / Research theme

Plant ecophysiology & chemical diversity

Scatterplot relating the leaf economics spectrum to specialized metabolism, with slow, high-defense and fast, low-defense ends labeled.

Within and among populations, we ask how genetic variation and the environment shape plant chemistry, physiology, and growth–defense trade-offs.

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03 / Research theme

Chemical defenses & pathogens

Diagram showing sunflower chemical defenses and Botrytis cinerea infection of leaf tissue.

We study how genetic variation helps fungal pathogens navigate the diverse chemical defenses of their plant hosts.

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04 / Research theme

Fungal ecophysiology & quantitative genetics

Botrytis evolutionary tree showing associated plant families and infected plant tissues.

We link genetic diversity to pathogen traits across scales, combining fungal ecophysiology, quantitative genetics, and phylogenomics.

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Members of the Dowell Research Group with the LSU tiger statue

The people behind the science

Different perspectives.
Shared curiosity.

Meet the researchers exploring plant function, fungal diversity, and the chemical interactions that connect them.

Meet our team

Publications

Selected work

All publications

Graphical abstract showing linalool exposure of 83 Botrytis cinerea isolates, measurements of physiological and structural traits, and genome-wide association analyses.

Strategy sets the scene: genetic architecture of linalool resistance in Botrytis cinerea

How do fungal pathogens tolerate plant chemical defenses? Across 83 Botrytis cinerea isolates, we found diverse physiological and structural responses to linalool. Genome-wide association analyses identified 98 candidate genes, with stronger genetic associations for fungal morphology than for physiological traits.

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Graphical abstract: Madrigal et al. (2026), G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics · CC BY 4.0

2026

Preprint · Not peer reviewed bioRxiv

Transcriptome reallocation during infection reshapes synonymous codon demand in Botrytis cinerea

Jordan Dowell, Lori Pradhan, Melanie Madrigal

Overview DOI ↗BibTeX

2026

G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics

Strategy sets the scene: genetic architecture of linalool resistance in Botrytis cinerea

Melanie Madrigal, Jenna C. Moseley, Daniel J. Kliebenstein, Jordan Dowell

Overview DOI ↗BibTeX

2026

Applications in Plant Sciences

SkelPy: A graphic user interface–based approach for skeletonizing fungal networks

Melanie Madrigal, Aaron J. Moseley, Jenna C. Moseley, Jordan Dowell

Overview DOI ↗BibTeX

From the lab

Latest news

October 23, 2026

Celebrating October birthdays

A little cake and time together to celebrate our October birthdays.

June 25, 2026

The lab and LSU colleagues at ISCE 2026

Dowell lab members join LSU colleagues at the International Society of Chemical Ecology meeting at Cornell University.

April 23, 2026

Natalie Roberts wins first place at Discover Day

Natalie’s STEM poster explores how plant-derived terpenes influence the growth of Botrytis cinerea.

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Beyond the papers

Talks & conversations

Get to know Jordan and the questions behind our research, in conversation.

Podcast · 29 min 57 sec

Plants Communicating Through Chemistry

A Botanical Podcast · Botanical Society of America

A conversation with Shiran Ben Zeev about plant chemical communication, defense, and the evolution of chemical diversity.

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Video · 4 min 44 sec

Can our plants feed the world?

One Garden · A community for the curious

A short One Garden video introduces Jordan’s research, technologies, and perspectives on resource efficiency, community, and diversity.

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Video · 1 min 49 sec

Why are plants so important?

One Garden · Secret Life of Plants collection

Jordan features in One Garden’s Secret Life of Plants collection. Watch a short introduction to the series and why plants matter.

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Life in the lab

Good science.
Good company.

Field days, greenhouse experiments, poster sessions, and a little time to celebrate. A glimpse of the people and everyday moments behind our research.

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