ERC Consolidator Grant for Hassan Salem
Max Planck Research Group Leader Hassan Salem has been awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant to investigate how beetles use symbiotic relationships with microbes to digest plant material and how this strategy compares to acquiring digestive enzymes through gene transfer. The research aims to uncover the evolutionary and ecological significance of symbiosis in herbivorous beetles, providing new insights into their remarkable success as plant-eating insects.
SYMBIVORE: Why beetles outsource key metabolic traits
Beetles are among the most successful and diverse creatures on the planet, with many species thriving as plant-eaters. They rely on special enzymes to digest tough plant material—some inherited from microbes through gene transfer, others acquired by forming partnerships with beneficial bacteria.
SYMBIVORE is a novel research project that aims to understand how these two strategies—gene transfer and symbiotic relationships—help beetles break down plant cell walls. By exploring beetles across different biological scales, the study will determine the conditions favouring symbiosis over gene transfer and investigate how these partnerships might have shaped their evolution.
Using cutting-edge techniques like genetic sequencing, structural biochemistry, and ecological experiments, SYMBIVORE will uncover how symbiosis may have given certain beetle species an advantage, allowing them to thrive in diverse environments. This research could transform our understanding of insect evolution and how organisms adapt to their surroundings by outsourcing key metabolic functions.
“The grant and its objectives build on observations and methodologies developed here in Tübingen, which makes it particularly meaningful. It represents the culmination of efforts by mentees and collaborators, who reconciled very different projects to raise a question that we hope is relevant to the field. The flexibility and duration of funding afforded by the European Research Council mean we can be very ambitious in our multidisciplinary pursuit of an answer,” explains Hassan Salem.
About Hassan Salem
Hassan Salem completed his undergraduate studies in Biology at Earlham College, Indiana, USA, followed by a Ph.D. at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, Germany. With support from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and Smithsonian Institution, he completed his postdoctoral training with Nicole Gerardo at Emory University in Georgia, USA, followed by a research stay at the Institute for Advanced Study in Berlin, Germany. He started the Mutualisms Research Group at the Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen, Germany, in June 2020. Hassan was selected as an EMBO Young Investigator in 2023.
About the ERC Consolidator Grant
The European Research Council (ERC), established by the European Union in 2007, is the premier European funding organisation for excellent frontier research. It funds creative researchers of any nationality and age to run projects across Europe. The ERC Consolidator rants provide vital support to researchers at a key stage in their careers, helping the to build independence, strengthen their teams, and establish themselves as leaders in their field – all which giving them the opportunity to pursue their scientific ambitions. Visit Consolidator Grant | ERC for more information.