dr. C.J. (Casper) van der Kooi

Colours of flowers and animals

My research centres on the ecology, evolution and mechanisms of colour in Nature, with a focus on flowers.

There are several projects available in my group. Examples include, studies on how flower colour evolves in different plant groups and parts of the world, evolution of structural coloration in insects, resemblance of sexually deceptive flowers to the female insects that they mimic, and on how abiotic stress impacts flower development. Depending on the interest of the student, the project can include fieldwork, experiments in the greenhouse, behavioural experiments with insects, and biophysics techniques.

Some previous news features on my research:

The surprises of color evolution

The anatomy of flower colours

Glossy buttercup flowers

Please get in touch if you would like to know more!