Prof. Dr. Christian Kost (CV)
Head of department
Department of Ecology
School of Biology/ Chemistry
University of Osnabrück
Barbarastrasse 13
49076 Osnabrück, Germany
Tel: +49 541 969-2853
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Research interests
I am an ecologist with a keen interest in evolutionary biology. In particular, I am fascinated by how ecological interactions between different organisms emerge, evolve, and give rise to complex patterns and dynamics. My working group uses tractable, laboratory-based model systems to address fundamental biological questions on different levels of biological organization (genome, cell, population, community). By combining empirical and theoretical approaches, I aim at contributing to a mechanistic understanding of the underlying principles. Current research themes include:
- Ecology and evolution of metabolite cross-feeding among microorganisms
- Genomic and physiological consequences of a synergistic coevolution
- Contact-dependent interactions among bacterial cells
- Ecological and evolutionary dynamics within microbial interaction networks
- Bacterial multicellularity
Education and Scientific Career
Since 2016 Professor of Ecology (W3), University of Osnabrück,
Department of Biology/Chemistry
2009-2016 Independent research group leader (Volkswagen Foundation),
Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
2006-2008 Alexander von Humboldt postdoctoral fellow,
Massey University, New Zealand (with Prof. Dr. Paul Rainey)
2006 Postdoctoral researcher, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology,
Jena, Germany (with Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Boland)
2003-2006 Doctoral student, Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
(with Dr. Martin Heil)
2001-2003 Scientific co-worker, University of Würzburg, Germany
(with Prof. Dr. Karl E. Linsenmair)
2001 Diploma in Biology, University of Kaiserslautern
Department of Biology/Chemistry
2009-2016 Independent research group leader (Volkswagen Foundation),
Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
2006-2008 Alexander von Humboldt postdoctoral fellow,
Massey University, New Zealand (with Prof. Dr. Paul Rainey)
2006 Postdoctoral researcher, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology,
Jena, Germany (with Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Boland)
2003-2006 Doctoral student, Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
(with Dr. Martin Heil)
2001-2003 Scientific co-worker, University of Würzburg, Germany
(with Prof. Dr. Karl E. Linsenmair)
2001 Diploma in Biology, University of Kaiserslautern
Honours and Awards
Since 2016 Member | SFB 944
Since 2015 Member | SPP1617
Since 2010 Advanced Postdoctoral Fellowship, Volkswagen Foundation
Since 2009 Associate faculty member | Faculty of 1.000
2006-2008 Feodor Lynen Fellowship | Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (78,600 €)
2001, 2006 Merian award, Society for Tropical Ecology
Since 2015 Member | SPP1617
Since 2010 Advanced Postdoctoral Fellowship, Volkswagen Foundation
Since 2009 Associate faculty member | Faculty of 1.000
2006-2008 Feodor Lynen Fellowship | Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (78,600 €)
2001, 2006 Merian award, Society for Tropical Ecology
Publications
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
- Pauli B, Oña L, Hermann M, Kost C. (2022) Obligate mutualistic cooperation limits evolvability. Nature Communications 13(1):337. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-27630-9.
- Bogdanowski A, Banitz T, Muhsal LK, Kost C, Frank C (2022) McComedy: a user-friendly tool for next-generation individual-based modeling of microbial consumer-resource systems. PLoS Computational Biology, 18(1):e1009777. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009777.
2021
- Giri S, Oña L, Waschina S, Shitut S, Yousif G, Kaleta C, Kost C. (2021) Metabolic dissimilarity determines the establishment of cross-feeding interactions in bacteria. Current Biology S0960-9822(21)01408-1.
- Oña L, Giri S, Avermann N, Kreienbaum M, Thormann KM, Kost C. (2021) Obligate cross-feeding expands the metabolic niche of bacteria. Nature Ecology and Evolution 5 (9), 1224-1232 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-021-01505-0.
- Preussger D, Herbig A, Kost C. (2021) Synergistic coevolution accelerates genome evolution. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.05.19.444833
- Kost C. Allianz gegen Räuber, Biospektrum, 27(3): 279.
2020
- Preussger D, Giri S, Muhsal LK, Oña L, Kost C. (2020) Reciprocal Fitness Feedbacks Promote the Evolution of Mutualistic Cooperation. Current Biology 30 (18), 3580-3590 e7 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2020.06.100
- Oña L, Kost C. (2020) Cooperation increases robustness to ecological disturbance in microbial cross-feeding networks. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.05.15.098103
- Kost C. (2020) Evolution: Predictable Patterns of Symbiont Cointegration. Current Biology 30 (10), R446-R448 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2020.03.025
- Giri S, Shitut S, Kost C. (2020) Harnessing ecological and evolutionary principles to guide the design of microbial production consortia. Current Opinion in Biotechnology 62, 228-238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copbio.2019.12.012 .
2019
- Giri S, Waschina S, Kaleta C, Kost C. (2019) Defining division of labour in microbial communities. Journal of Molecular Biology 431 (23), 4712-4731. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmb.2019.06.023.
- Dietel AK, Merker H, Kaltenpoth M, Kost C. (2019) Selective advantages favour high genomic AT-contents in intracellular elements. PloS Genetics 15 (4), e1007778. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1007778
- Shitut S, Ahsendorf T, Pande S, Egbert M, Kost C. Nanotube‐mediated cross‐feeding couples the metabolism of interacting bacterial cells. Environmental Microbiology 21 (4), 1306-1320. doi:10.1111/1462-2920.14539.
2018
- Dietel AK, Kaltenpoth M, Kost C. Convergent Evolution in Intracellular Elements: Plasmids as Model Endosymbionts. Trends in Microbiolgy 26 (9), 755-768. doi: 10.1016/j.tim.2018.03.004.
- D’Souza G, Shitut S, Preussger D, Yousif G, Waschina S, Kost C. Ecology and evolution of metabolic cross-feeding interactions in bacteria, Natural Product Reports, (2018) Nat. Prod. Rep., 35, 455-488. doi: 10.1039/c8np00009c.
2017
- Hölscher T, Schiklang T, Dragoš A, Dietel AK, Kost C, Kovács ÁT Impaired competence in flagellar mutants of Bacillus subtilis is connected to the regulatory network governed by DegU. Environmental Microbiology Reports. 10 (1), 23-32. doi:10.1101/194027
- Junker RR, Kuppler J, Amo L, Blande JD, Borges RM, van Dam NM, Dicke M, Dötterl S, Ehlers BK, Etl, F., Gershenzon J, Glinwood R, Gols R, Groot AT, Heil M, Hoffmeister M., Holopainen JK, Jarau S., John L, Kessler A, Knudsen JT, Kost C, Larue-Kontic A-A-C, Leonhardt SD, Lucas-Barbosa D, Majetic CJ, Menzel F, Parachnowitsch AL, Pasquet RS, Poelman EH, Raguso RA, Ruther J, Schiestl FP, Schmitt T, Tholl D, Unsicker S, Verhulst N, Visser ME, Weldegergis BT, Köllner TG. (2017). Covariation and phenotypic integration in chemical communication displays: biosynthetic constraints and eco-evolutionary implications. New Phytologist. 220 (3), 755-768. doi:10.1111/nph.14505.
- Pande S, Kost C. (2017). Bacterial unculturability and the formation of intercellular metabolic networks. Trends in Microbiology, 25(5), 349-361. doi:10.1016/j.tim.2017.02.015
- Sudakaran S, Kost C, Kaltenpoth, M. (2017) Symbiont acquisition and replacement as a source of ecological innovation. Trends in Microbiology 25 (5): 375-390. doi: 10.1016/j.tim.2017.02.014
2016
- D'Souza G, Kost C. Experimental evolution of metabolic dependency in bacteria. PLoS Genetics, 12(11): e1006364.
- Germerodt S, Bohl K, Lück A, Pande S, Schröter A, Kaleta C, Schuster S, Kost C. Pervasive selection for cooperative cross-feeding in bacterial communities. PLoS Computational Biology, 12(6): e1004986.
- Pande S, Kaftan F, Lang S, Svatoš A, Germerodt S, Kost C. Privatization of cooperative benefits stabilizes mutualistic cross-feeding interactions in spatially structured environments. The ISME Journal, 10, 1413-1423.
- Waschina S, D'Souza G, Kost C*, Kaleta C*. Metabolic network architecture and carbon source determine metabolite production costs. The FEBS Journal, 283, 2149-2163.
2015
- D'Souza G, Waschina S, Kaleta C, Kost C. Plasticity and epistasis strongly affect bacterial fitness after losing multiple metabolic genes. Evolution, 69(5), 1244-1254.
- Pande S, Shitut S, Freund L, Westermann M, Bertels F, Colesie C, Bischofs IB, Kost C. Metabolic cross-feeding via intercellular nanotubes among bacteria. Nature Communications, 6: 6238.
- Schmidt R, Waschina S, Boettger-Schmidt D, Kost C, Kaleta C. Computing autocatalytic sets to unravel inconsistencies in metabolic network reconstructions. Bioinformatics, 31(3), 373-381.
- Seccareccia I, Kost C, Nett M. Quantitative analysis of Lysobacter predation. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 81(20), 7098-7105.
- Sudakaran S, Retz F, Kikuchi Y, Kost C*, Kaltenpoth M*. Evolutionary transition in symbiotic syndromes enabled diversification of phytophagous insects on an imbalanced diet. The ISME Journal, 9(12), 2587-2604.
- Hölscher T, Kost C, Kovács ÁT. Einblicke in das Sozialleben von Mikroben. Biospektrum, 264-266.
- Kost C. Gemeinsam stärker: metabolische Arbeitsteilung bei Bakterien. Biospektrum, 592, 592-596.
2014
- D’Souza G, Waschina S, Pande S, Bohl K, Kaleta C, Kost C. Less is more: Selective advantages can explain the prevalent loss of biosynthetic genes in bacteria. Evolution, 68(9): 2559-2570.
- Thiele T, Kost C, Roces F, Wirth R. Foraging leaf-cutting ants learn to reject Vitis vinifera ssp. vinifera plants that emit herbivore-induced volatiles. Journal of Chemical Ecology, 40:617-620.
- Pande S, Merker H, Bohl K, Reichelt M, Schuster S, de Figueiredo, LF, Kaleta C, Kost C. Fitness and stability of obligate cross-feeding interactions that emerge upon gene loss in bacteria. The ISME Journal, 8, 953-962.
2012
- Bertels F, Merker H, Kost C. Design and characterization of auxotrophy-based amino acid biosensors. PLoS ONE, 7(7): e41349.
- Radhika V, Kost C, Bonaventure G, David A, Boland W. Volatile emission in bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum) is induced by jasmonates but not by herbivory. PLoS ONE. 7(11): e48050.
- Sudakaran S, Salem H, Kost C, Kaltenpoth M. Geographic and ecological stability of the symbiotic mid-gut microbiota in European firebugs, Pyrrhocoris apterus (Hemiptera, Pyrrhocoridae). Molecular Ecology, 21(24): 6134-6151.
2011
- Kost C, Tremmel M, Wirth R. Do leaf cutting ants cut undetected? Testing the effect of ant-induced plant defences on foraging decisions in Atta colombica. PLoS ONE, 6(7), e22340.
- Rainey PB, Beaumont HJE, Ferguson, GC, Gallie J, Kost C, Libby E, Zhang XX. The evolutionary emergence of stochastic phenotype switching in bacteria. Microbial Cell Factories, 10 Suppl 1:S14.
2010
- Radhika V, Kost C, Boland W, Heil M. Towards elucidating the differential regulation of floral and extrafloral nectar secretion. Plant Signaling & Behavior, 5, 924-926.
- Radhika V, Kost C, Mithöfer A, Boland W. Regulation of extrafloral nectar secretion by jasmonates in lima bean is light dependent. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 107, 17228-17233.
- Venkatesan R, Kost C, Boland W, Heil M. The role of jasmonates in floral nectar secretion. PLoS ONE, 5(2), e9265.
- Bohl K, de Figueiredo, LF, Hädicke O, Klamt S, Kost C, Schuster S, Kaleta C. CASOP GS: Computing intervention strategies targeted at production improvement in genome-scale metabolic networks, in Schomburg D & Grote A (Eds.), Proceedings of the 25th German Conference on Bioinformatics. 71-80.
2009
- Beaumont HJE, Gallie J, Kost C, Ferguson GC, Rainey PB. Experimental evolution of bet hedging. Nature, 462, 90-93.
2008
- Kost C, Heil M. The defensive role of volatile emission and extrafloral nectar secretion for lima bean in nature. Journal of Chemical Ecology, 34, 2-13.
- Radhika V, Kost C, Bartram S, Heil M, Boland W. Testing the optimal defence hypothesis for two indirect defences: secretion of extrafloral nectar and emission of volatile organic compounds. Planta, 228, 449-457.
- Kost C. Chemical Communication, in Jorgensen SE & Fath BD (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Ecology, Oxford: Elsevier, 557-575.
2007
- Kost C, Lakatos T, Böttcher I, Arendholz WR, Redenbach M, Wirth R. Non-specific association between filamentous bacteria and fungus-growing ants, Naturwissenschaften, 94, 821-828.
- Mekem Sonwa M, Kost C, Biedermann A, Wegener R, Schulz S, Boland W. Dehydrogenation of ocimene by active carbon: artefact formation during headspace sampling from leaves of Phaseolus lunatus, Arkivoc, 3, 164-172.
2006
- Heil M, Kost C. Priming in indirect defences, Ecology Letters, 9, 813-817.
- Leal IR, Fischer A, Kost C, Tabarelli M, Wirth R. Ant protection against herbivores and nectar thieves in Passiflora coccinea flowers, Écoscience, 13, 431-438.
- Kost C, Heil M. Herbivore-induced plant volatiles induce an indirect defence in neighbouring plants, Journal of Ecology, 94, 619-628.
- Schulze B, Kost C, Arimura GI, Boland W. Duftstoffe: Die Sprache der Pflanzen - Signalrezeption, Biosynthese und Ökologie, Chemie in unserer Zeit, 40, 366-377.
2005
- Kost C, Heil M. Increased availability of extrafloral nectar reduces herbivory in Lima beans (Phaseolus lunatus, Fabaceae), Basic and Applied Ecology, 6, 237-24.
- Kost C, de Oliveira EG, Knoch TA, Wirth R. Spatio-temporal permanence and plasticity of foraging trail systems in young and mature leaf-cutting ant colonies (Atta spp.), Journal of Tropical Ecology, 21, 1-12.
- Arimura GI, Kost C, Boland W. Herbivore-induced, indirect plant defences, Biochimica et Biophysica Acta: Lipids and Lipid Metabolism, 1734, 91-111.