Frederic Lens
Associate professor
- Name
- Dr. F.P. Lens
- Telephone
- 071 5272727
- f.p.lens@biology.leidenuniv.nl
- ORCID iD
- 0000-0002-5001-0149
During my PhD at KU Leuven (Belgium, 2000–2005), I explored evolutionary and ecological patterns in the wood anatomy of flowering plants. As a postdoctoral researcher (2005–2010), I expanded my focus to functional anatomy, allowing me to link wood anatomical traits to drought tolerance. This integrative approach—combining detailed anatomical observations with ecophysiological insights—continued to evolve during my tenure-track period at Leiden University (2010–2014). It was also during this time that my long-standing fascination with the evolutionary origins of woodiness deepened. I became particularly interested in why some plants evolved woodiness from herbaceous ancestors. Many such species thrive in regions with recurring drought, suggesting that drought may have been a major evolutionary driver of wood formation across over 700 identified flowering plant lineages. Experimental drought studies on closely related species with varying degrees of stem lignification further support this idea: species with more lignified stems are more drought tolerant. Since joining Naturalis Biodiversity Center in 2014—first as a permanent researcher, then senior researcher in 2018, and group leader in 2020—I have continued to expand these research lines. Currently, I am planning a new project to build an open-access, AI-driven wood identification pipeline. By analysing images of thin wood sections, this tool aims to assist customs officers in detecting illegal logging much more efficiently than current methods allow. Since 2021, I have held a 30% appointment at the Institute of Biology Leiden (IBL), where I coordinate the Leiden Biodiversity Network (LBN) as part of a bridging role. LBN connects over 200 biodiversity researchers and stakeholders across Leiden University, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, the University of Applied Sciences, MBO Rijnland, and the municipality of Leiden. Leiden is uniquely positioned to grow into a leading hub for biodiversity research, thanks to a combination of strengths that distinguish LBN from other Dutch biodiversity research hubs. These include the presence of extensive living and natural history collections (Hortus botanicus, Naturalis), a wide range of biodiversity expertise fostering transdisciplinary collaboration, and the integration of fundamental research (e.g., evolution, biomonitoring) with applied approaches (e.g., living labs, nature restoration). Additionally, the active involvement of the municipal government in enhancing biodiversity in urban parks, canals, and surrounding landscapes—such as polders, dunes, tulip fields, and forests—provides a rich ecological context for research and innovation.
More information about Frederic Lens
PhD Candidates
Former PhD Candidates / Postdocs
News
In the media
Research
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Rampant evolutionary transitions toward the woody growth form
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Investigating plant traits that define species richness on islands
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Brassicaceae as a model family to understand wood formation
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Identification of traded timbers
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Anatomical traits underlying drought tolerance in plants
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The power of comparative wood anatomy
Research
Studying rampant evolutionary transitions towards the woody growth form
The evolutionary transition from herbaceousness towards (phylogenetically) derived woodiness in flowering plants is a peculiar phenomenon dating back to Darwin's original observations. To understand why plants became woody and why this has happened so frequently during evolutionary history, we have compiled the first global derived woodiness database with about 7000 species belonging to 700 independent lineages across flowering plants. Most derived woody species thrive in continental regions with recurrent drought cycles. This has laid the foundation for our novel hypothesis, proposing drought as a major driver of the evolutionary transitions towards woodiness across most lineages. My team has already obtained preliminary experimental support for this hypothesis in several plant groups, and we are currently looking into alternative drivers of wood formation across flowering plants.
Investigating anatomical traits underlying drought tolerance in plants
It is crucial to better understand how wild plants and crops respond to drought stress in a world facing global change. But we still do not know which set of traits regulate drought tolerance in a given species, and how this differs among species. Many studies have demonstrated that gas embolisms in the root-to-shoot water transport pipeline are a main reason why plants die when they face drought stress. This so-called hydraulic failure can spontaneously occur under drought stress, but some (drought-tolerant) species are much better adapted to avoid lethal levels of embolisms than other (more sensitive) species. We measure embolism resistance in stems, roots and leaves, along with other ecophysiological traits such as stomatal conductance, to estimate whole-plant drought tolerance. These experimental results can be compared across closely related species with contrasting differences in wood formation to assess the impact of stem lignification on drought tolerance.
Identification of traded timbers to fight illegal logging
With an estimated annual turnover of €50–150 billion, illegal logging is the third most profitable transnational crime, after drug trafficking and trade in counterfeit goods. The new European EUDR regulation, which aims to more strictly regulate international timber trade from 2025 onwards, will only be effective in protecting our forests if reliable, large-scale identification and origin-tracing methods are developed. At present, such global methods are not yet available, allowing illegal logging to continue to thrive. In collaboration with large wood collection institutes, we aim to develop a reliable, high-throughput wood identification pipeline based on images from wood anatomical sections to provide customs officers and other (non-)scientific stakeholders with a timber tracking tool that helps them identify illegally logged wood. Our efforts will lead to a freely accessible global wood identification tool that enables international and local authorities to enforce legal regulations, and will promote sustainable and environmentally responsible practices across the timber supply chain.
For more details, go to the website of my research group Functional Traits at Naturalis Biodiversity Center.
Collaborators:
Prof. Remko Offringa (IBL, Leiden University)
Dr. Sylvain Delzon (University of Bordeaux, France)
Prof. Steven Jansen (Ulm University, Germany)
Dr. Alex Zizka (Marburg University, Germany)
Teaching
Currently, I am involved in the Biology curriculum at Leiden University, where I teach a plant anatomy course in the first Bachelor (Biodiversity of Plants), and I lecture on woodiness transitions across major plant lineages at the Master level (Development and Evolution).
Associate professor
- Faculty of Science
- Institute of Biology Leiden
- IBL Plant sciences & Natural products
- Dehayem O.N., Brewer R.F.A., Valente L., Lens F.P. & Etienne R.S. (2025), Impact of sampling strategy on inference of community assembly processes in phylogenetic island biogeography, Methods in Ecology and Evolution 16(7): 1507-1520.
- Kiefer M., German D.A. Kiefer C., Hendriks K.P., Franzke A., Schmickl R., Walden N., Lens F.P. & Koch M.A. (2025), Capacity building in crucifer research: from BrassiBase to a taxonomic expert network (BrassiTEN), Plant Systematics and Evolution 311: 30.
- He X., Pelt D.M., Gao J.R., Gravendeel B., Zhu P.Q., Chen S.Y., Qiu J. & Lens F.P. (2024), Machine learning-based wood anatomy identification: towards anatomical feature recognition, IAWA Journal 45(4): 457-475.
- Bogarn Chaves D.G., Lens F.P. & Merckx V.S.F.T. (2024), Phylogenomics and the rise of the angiosperms, Nature 629: 843-850.
- Beckers V., Endress M., Baas P., Smets E. & Lens F. (2024), Apocynaceae wood evolution matches key morphological innovations, American Journal of Botany 111(11): e16436.
- Bortolami G., Werk T. A. de, Larter M.D., Thonglim A., Mueller-Roeber B., Balazadeh S. & Lens F.P. (2024), Integrating gene expression analysis and ecophysiological responses to water deficit in leaves of tomato plants, Scientific Reports 14: 29024.
- Hendriks K.P., Kiefer C., Al-Shehbaz I.A., Bailey C.D., Hooft van Huysduynen A.A.C., Nikolov L., Nauheimer, L., Zuntini A.R., German D.A., Franzke A., Koch M.A., Lysak M.A., Toro-Nunez O., Ozudogru B., Invernon V.R., Walden N., Maurin O., Hay N., Sushkov P., Mandakova T., Schranz M.E., Thulin M., Windham M., Rešetnik I., Španiel S., Ly E., Pires J.C., Harkess A., Neuffer B., Vogt R., Bräuchler C., Rainer H., Janssens S., Schmull M., Forrest A., Guggisberg A., Zmarzty S., Lepschi B., Scarlett N., Stauffer F.W., Schonberger I., Heenan P., Baker W.J., Forest F., Mummenhoff K. & Lens F.P. (2023), Global Brassicaceae phylogeny based on filtering of 1,000 gene dataset, Current Biology 33(19): 4052-4068.e6.
- Hay N.M., Windham M.D., Mandáková T., Lysák M.A., Hendriks K.P., Mummenhoff K., Lens F.P., Pryer K.M. & Bailey C.D. (2023), A Hyb-Seq phylogeny of Boechera and related genera using a combination of Angiosperms353 and Brassicaceae-specific bait sets, American Journal of Botany 110(10): e16226.
- Laughlin D.C., Siefert A., Fleri J., Tumber-Dávila S.J., Hammond W., Sabatini F.M., Damasceno G., Aubin I., Field R., Hatim M.Z., Jansen S., Lenoir J., Lens F.P., McCarthy J.K., Niinemets U., Phillips O.L., Attorre F., Bergeron Y., Bruun H.H., Byun C., Ćušterevska R., Dengler J., De Sanctis M., Dolezal J., Jiménez-Alfaro B., Herault B., Homeier J., Kattge J., Meir P., Mencuccini M., Noroozi J., Nowak A., Penuelas J., Schmidt M., Škvorc Ž., Sultana F., Magaña Ugarte R. & Bruelheide H. (2023), Rooting depth and xylem vulnerability are independent woody plant traits jointly selected by aridity, seasonality, and water table depth, New Phytologist 240(5): 1774-1787.
- Lens F.P., Gleason S.M., Bortolami G., Brodersen C., Delzon S. & Jansen S. (2023), Comparative anatomy vs mechanistic understanding: how to interpret the diameter-vulnerability link, IAWA Journal 44(3-4): 368-380.
- Makenzie E.M., Abrahams R.S, Al-Shehbaz I.A., Baker W.I., Barak S., Barker M.S., Barrett R.L., Beric A., Bhattacharya S., Carey S.B., Conant G.C., Conran J.G., Dassanayake M., Edger P.P., Hall J.H., Hao Y., Hendriks K.P., Hibberd J.M., King G.J., Kliebenstein D.J., Koch M.A., Leitch I., Lens F., Lysak M.A., McAlvay A., McKibben M.T.W., Mercati F., Moore R., Mummenhoff K., Murphy D.J., Nikolov L.A., Pisias M., Roalson E.H., Schranz M.E., Thomas S.K., Yu Q., Yocca A., Pires J.C. & Harkess A. (2023), Complementing model species with model clades, The Plant Cell 36(5): 1205-1226.
- German D.A., Hendriks K.P., Koch M.A., Lens F., Lysak M.A., Bailey C.D., Mummenhoff K. & Al-Shehbaz I.A. (2023), An updated classification of the Brassicaceae (Cruciferae), PhytoKeys 220: 127-144.
- Engel T., Bruelheide H., Hoss D., Sabatini F.M., Altman J, Arfin‐Khan M.A.S., Bergmeier E., Černý T., Chytrý M., Dainese M., Dengler, J., Dolezal J., Field R., Fischer F.M., Huygens, D., Jandt, U., Jansen F., Jentsch A., Karger D.N., Kattge J., Lenoir J., Lens F., Loos, J., Niinemets Ü., Overbeck G.E., Ozinga W.A., Penuelas J., Peyre G., Phillips O., Reich P.B., Römermann C., Sandel B., Schmidt M., Schrodt F., Velez‐Martin E., Violle C. & Pillar V. (2023), Traits of dominant plant species drive normalized difference vegetation index in grasslands globally, Global Ecology and Biogeography 32(5): 695-706.
- Jahanbanifard M., Price E., González Benito A., Raggi L.A., Javanmardi S., Lens F., Gravendeel B., Espinoza E. & Verbeek F.J. (2023), A novel method to analyse DART TOFMS spectra based on Convolutional Neural Networks: a case study on methanol extracts of wool fibres from endangered camelids, International Journal of Mass Spectrometry 489: 117050.
- Pramanik D., Spaans M., Kranenburg T., Bogarin Chaves D.G., Heijungs R., Lens F.P., Smets E.F. & Gravendeel B. (2022), Inflorescence lignification of natural species and horticultural hybrids of Phalaenopsis orchids, Scientia Horticulturae 295: 110845.
- Joswig J.S., Wirth C., Schuman M.C., Kattge J., Reu B., Wright I., Sippel S.D., Rüger N., Richter R., Schaepman M.E., van Bodegom P., Cornelissen J.H.C., Díaz S., Hattingh W.N., Kramer K., Lens F.P., Niinemets U., Reich P., Reichstein M., Römermann C., Schrodt F., Anand M., Bahn M., Byun C., Campetella G., Cerabolini B.E.L., Craine J.M., Gonzalez-Melo A., Gutiérrez A.G., He T., Higuchi P., Jactel H., Kraft N.J.B., Minden V., Onipchenko V., Peñuelas J., Pillar V.D., Sosinski Ê., Soudzilovskaia N.A., Weiher E.R. & Mahecha M.D. (2022), Climatic and soil factors explain the two-dimensional spectrum of global plant trait variation, Nature ecology & evolution 6: 36-50.
- Vos R.A., Veen-van Wijk van der C.A.M., Schranz M.E., Vrieling K., Klinkhamer P.G.L. & Lens F.P. (2022), Refining bulk segregant analyses: ontology-mediated discovery of flowering time genes in Brassica oleracea, Plant Methods 18: 92.
- Zizka A., Onstein R.E., Rozzi R., Weigelt P., Kreft H., Steinbauer M.J., Bruelheide H. & Lens F.P. (2022), The evolution of insular woodiness, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 119(37): e2208629119.
- Beckers V.M.H., Rapini A., Smets E.F. & Lens F.P. (2022), Comparative wood anatomy and origin of woodiness in subfamilies Secamonoideae and Asclepiadoideae (Apocynaceae), Taxon 71(6): 1230-1250.
- Lens F.P., Gleason S.M., Bortolami G., Brodersen C., Delzon S. & Jansen S. (2022), Functional xylem characteristics associated with drought‐induced embolism in angiosperms, New Phytologist 236(6): 2019-2036.
- Thonglim A., Bortolami G., Delzon S., Larter M., Offringa R., Keurentjes J.J.B., Smets E., Balazadeh S. & Lens F. (2022), Drought response in Arabidopsis displays synergistic coordination between stems and leaves, Journal of Experimental Botany 74(3): 1004-1021.
- Jahanbanifard M., Veltman M.A., Veldman S., Hartvig I., Cowell C., Lens F.P., Janssens S. & Smets E.F. (2022), Wildlife trade. In: Boer H. de, Rydmark M.O., Verstraete B. & Gravendeel B. (Eds.), Molecular identification of plants: from sequence to species. Sofia: Pensoft Publishers. 372-386.
- Thonglim A., Delzon S., Larter M.D., Karami O., Rahimi A., Offringa R., Keurentjes J.J.B., Balazadeh S., Smets E.F. & Lens F.P. (2021), Intervessel pit membrane thickness best explains variation in embolism resistance amongst stems of Arabidopsis thaliana accessions, Annals of Botany 128(2): 171-182.
- Hendriks K., Mandáková T., Hay N.M., Ly E., Hooft van Huysduynen A., Tamrakar R., Thomas S.K., Toro-Núñez O., Pires J.C., Nikolov L.A., Koch M.A., Windham M.D., Lysak M.A., Forest F., Mummenhoff K., Baker W.J., Lens F. & Bailey C.D. (2021), The best of both worlds: combining lineage specific and universal bait sets in target-enrichment hybridization reactions, Applications in Plant Sciences 9(7): e11438.
- Sabatini F.M., Lenoir J., Hattab T., Arnst E.A., Chytrý M., Dengler J., De Ruffray P., Hennekens S.M., Jandt U., Jansen F., Jiménez-Alfaro B., Kattge J., Levesley A., Pillar V.D., Purschke O., Sandel B., Sultana F., Aavik T., Aćić S., Acosta A.T.R., Agrillo E., Alvarez M., Apostolova I., Arfin Khan M.A.S., Arroyo L., Attorre F., Aubin I., Banerjee A., Bauters M., Bergeron Y., Bergmeier E., Biurrun I., Bjorkman A.D., Bonari G., Bondareva V., Brunet J., Čarni A., Casella L., Cayuela L., Černý T., Chepinoga V., Csiky J., Ćušterevska R., De Bie E., Gasper A.L. de, De Sanctis M., Dimopoulos P., Dolezal J., Dziuba T., El-Rouf Mousa El-Sheikh M.A., Enquist B., Ewald J., Fazayeli F., Field R., Finckh M., Gachet S., Galán-de-Mera A., Garbolino E., Gholizadeh H., Giorgis M., Golub V., Greve Alsos I., Grytnes J-A., Richard Guerin G., Gutiérrez A.G., Haider S., Hatim M.Z., Hérault B., Hinojos Mendoza G., Hölzel N., Homeier J., Hubau W., Indreica A., Janssen J.A.M., Jedrzejek B., Jentsch A., Jürgens N., Kącki Z., Kapfer J., Karger D.K., Kavgacı A., Kearsley E., Kessler M., Khanina L., Killeen T., Korolyuk A., Kreft H., Kühl H.S., Kuzemko A., Landucci F., Lengyel A., Lens F., Lingner D.V., Liu H., Lysenko T., Mahecha M.D., Marcenò C., Martynenko V., Erenskjold Moeslund J., Monteagudo Mendoza A., Mucina L., Müller J.V., Munzinger J., Naqinezhad A., Noroozi J., Nowak A., Onyshchenko V., Overbeck G.E., Pärtel M., Pauchard A., Peet R.K., Peñuelas J., Pérez-Haase A., Peterka T., Petřík P., Peyre G., Phillips O.L., Prokhorov V., Rašomavičius V., Revermann R., Rivas-Torres G., Rodwell J.S., Ruprecht E., Rūsiņa S., Samimi C., Schmidt M., Schrodt F., Shan H., Shirokikh P., Šibík J., Šilc U., Sklenář P., Škvorc Ž., Sparrow B., Gaia Sperandii M., Stančić Z., Svenning J.-C., Tang Z., Tang C.Q., Tsiripidis I., Vanselow K.A., Vásquez Martínez R., Vassilev K., Vélez-Martin E., Venanzoni R., Vibrans A.C., Violle C., Virtanen R., Wehrden H. von, Wagner V., Walker D.A., Waller D., Wang H.-F., Wesche K., Whitfeld T.J.S., Willner W., Wiser S.K., Wohlgemuth T., Yamalov S., Zobel M. & Bruelheide H. (2021), sPlotOpen: an environmentally-balanced, open-access, global dataset of vegetation plots, Global Ecology and Biogeography 30(9): 1740-1764.
- Hooft van Huysduynen A., Janssens S., Merckx V., Vos R., Valente L., Zizka A., Larter M., Karabayir B., Maaskant D., Witmer Y., Fernández-Palacios J.M., de Nascimento L., Molina Jaen R., Caujapé Castells J., Marrero-Rodríguez Á., del Arco M. & Lens F. (2021), Temporal and palaeoclimatic context of the evolution of insular woodiness in the Canary Islands, Ecology and Evolution 11(17): 12220-12231.
- Arx G. von, Carrer M., Crivellaro A., De Micco V., Fonti P., Lens F., Prendin A.L., Rosner S. & Sass-Klaassen U. (2021), Q-NET : a new scholarly network on quantitative wood anatomy, Dendrochronologia: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Tree-Ring Science 70: 125890 .
- Lens F.P., Liang C., Guo Y., Tang X., Jahanbanifard M., Soares Correa da Silva F., Ceccantini. G. & Verbeek F.J. (2020), Computer-assisted timber identification based on features extracted from microscopic wood sections, IAWA Journal 41(4): 660-680.
- Jahanbanifard M., Beckers V.M.H., Koch G., Beeckman H., Gravendeel B., Verbeek F.J., Baas P., Priester C. & Lens F.P. (2020), Description and evolution of wood anatomical characters in the ebony wood genus Diospyros and its close relatives (Ebenaceae): a first step towards combatting illegal logging, IAWA Journal 41(4): 577-619.
- Lens F.P. et al. (2020), TRY plant trait database : enhanced coverage and open access, Global Change Biology 26(1): 119-188.
- Dória L.C., Podadera D.S., Lima R.S., Lens F. & Marcati C.R. (2019), Axial sampling height outperforms site as predictor of wood trait variation, IAWA Journal 40(2): 191-214.
- Trueba S., Delzon S., Isnard S. & Lens F. (2019), Similar hydraulic efficiency and safety across vesselless angiosperms and vessel-bearing species with scalariform perforation plates, Journal of Experimental Botany 70(12): 3227-3240.
- Dória L.C., Meijs C., Podadera D.S., Del Arco M., Smets E., Delzon S. & Lens F.P. (2019), Embolism resistance in stems of herbaceous Brassicaceae and Asteraceae is linked to differences in woodiness and precipitation, Annals of Botany 124(1): 1-14.
- Bortolami G., Gambetta G.A., Delzon S., Lamarque L.J., Pouzoulet J., Badel E., Burlett R., Charrier G., Cochard H., Dayer S., Jansen S., King A., Lecomte P., Lens F.P., Torres-Ruiz J.M. & Delmas C.E.L. (2019), Exploring the hydraulic failure hypothesis on esca leaf symptom formation, Plant Physiology 181(3): 1163-1174.
- Li S., Hao G.-Y., Niinemtes Ü., Harley P.C., Wanke S., Lens F., Zhang Y.-J. & Cao K.-F. (2019), The effects of intervessel pit characteristics on xylem hydraulic efficiency and photosynthesis in hemiepiphytic and non-hemiepiphytic Ficus species, Physiologia Plantarum 167(4): 661-675.
- Jahanbanifard M., Gravendeel B., Lens F.P., Verbeek F.J. & (2019), Ebony wood identification to battle illegal trade. Hogeweg L. & Pieterse S. (Eds.), Biodiversity Information Science and Standards. Biodiversity Next 2019 20 October 2019 - 25 October 2019. Biodiversity Information Science and Standards no. 3: Pensoft Publishers. e37084.
- Medeiros J.S., Lens F.P., Maherali H. & Jansen S. (2019), Vestured pits and scalariform perforation plate morphology modify the relationships between angiosperm vessel diameter, climate and maximum plant height, New Phytologist 221(4): 1802-1813.
- Volaire F., Lens F.P., Cochard H., Xu H., Doria L.C., Bristiel P., Balachowski J., Rowe N., Violle C. & Picon-Cochard C. (2018), Embolism and mechanical resistances play a key role in dehydration tolerance of a perennial grass Dactylis glomerata L, Annals of Botany 122(2): 325-336.
- Pfautsch S., Aspinwall M.J., Drake J.E., Doria L.C., Langelaan R.J.A., Tissue D.T., Tjoelker M.G. & Lens F.P. (2018), Traits and trade-offs in whole-tree hydraulic architecture along the vertical axis of Eucalyptus grandis, Annals of Botany 121(1): 129-141.
- Pfautsch S., Aspinwall M.J., Drake J.E., Chacon-Doria L., Langelaan R.J.A., Tissue D.T., Tjoelker M.G. & Lens F.P. (2018), Traits and trade-offs in whole-tree hydraulic architecture along the vertical axis of Eucalyptus grandis, Annals of Botany 121(1): 129-141.
- Chacon Doria L., Podadera D.S., Arco M. del, Chauvin T., Smets E.F., Delzon S. & Lens F.P. (2018), Insular woody daisies (Argyranthemum, Asteraceae) are more resistant to drought-induced hydraulic failure than their herbaceous relatives, Functional Ecology 32(6): 1467-1478.
- Ahmad H.B., Lens F., Capdeville G., Burlett R., Lamarque L.J. & Delzon S. (2018), Intraspecific variation in embolism resistance and stem anatomy across four sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) accessions, Physiologia Plantarum 163: 59-72.
- Volaire F., Lens F., Cochard H., Xu H., Chacon-Doria L., Bristiel P., Balachowski J., Rowe N., Violle C. & Picon-Cochard C. (2018), Embolism and mechanical resistances play a key role in dehydration tolerance of a perennial grass Dactylis glomerata L, Annals of Botany 122(2): 325-336.
- Osorio L., Trujillo E., Lens F.P., Ivens J., Verpoest I. & Vuure A.W. van (2018), In-depth study of the microstructure of bamboo fibres and their relation to the mechanical properties, Journal of Reinforced Plastics and Composites 37(17): 1099-1113.
- Mrad A., Domec J.-C., Huang C.-W., Lens F.P. & Katul G. (2018), A network model links wood anatomy to xylem tissue hydraulic behaviour and vulnerability to cavitation, Plant, Cell and Environment 41(12): 2718-2730.
- Bruelheide H., Dengler J., Purschke O., Lenoir J., Jiménez-Alfaro B., Hennekens S.M., Botta-Dukát Z., Chytrý M., Field R., Jansen F., Kattge J., Pillar V.D., Schrodt F., Mahecha M.D., Peet R.K., Bodegom P.M. van, Sandel B., Alvarez-Dávila E., Altman J., Attorre F., Arfin Khan M.A.S., Baraloto C., Aubin I., Bauters M., Barroso J.G., Biurrun I., Bergmeier E., Blonder B., Bjorkman A.D., Cayuela L., Carni A., Craven D., Dainese M., Cerný T., Cornelissen J.H.C., Díaz S., Doležal J., Derroire G., De Sanctis M., Fenton N.J., Garnier E., Farfan-Rios W., Feldpausch T.R., Haider S., Hattab T., Guerin G.R., Gutiérrez A.G., Hölzel N., Higuchi P., Hérault B., Henry G., Kacki Z., Jürgens N., Jentsch A., Homeier J., Knollová I., Kleyer M., Kessler M., Karger D.N., Lens F., Laughlin D.C., Kühn I., Korolyuk A.Y., Marcenò C., Mencuccini M., Müller J.V., Munzinger J., Loos J., Louault F., Lyubenova M.I., Malhi Y., Ozinga W.A., Penuelas J., Pérez-Haase A., Petrík P., Myers-Smith I.H., Neill D.A., Niinemets Ü., Orwin K.H., Sabatini F.M., Rodrigues A.V., Schmidt M., Sardans J., Pärtel M., Phillips OL., Römermann C., Reich B., Svenning J.C., Sporbert M., Thomas R., Tang Z., Silva Espejo J.E., Seidler G., Smyth A., Silveira M., Wesche K., Winter M., Weiher E., Welk E., Violle C., Virtanen R., Tsiripidis I., Vassilev K., Wirth C. & Jandt U. (2018), Global trait–environment relationships of plant communities, Nature ecology & evolution 2(12): 1906-1917.
- Schwallier R., Gravendeel B., Boer H. de, Heuven B.J. van, Sieder A., Sumail S., Vugt R. van, Nylinder S. & Lens F. (2017), Evolution of wood anatomical characters in Nepenthes and close relatives of Caryophyllales, Annals of Botany 119(7): 1179-1193.
- Cailleret M., Jansen S., Robert E.M.R., Desoto L., Aakala T., Antos J.A., Beikircher B., Bigler C., Bugmann H., Caccianiga M., Cada V., Camarero J.J., Cherubini P., Cochard H., Coyea M.R., Cufar K., Das A.J., Davi H., Delzon S., Dorman M., Gea-Izquierdo G., Gillner S., Haavik L.J., Hartmann H., Heres A.M., Hultine K.R., Janda P., Kane J.M., Kharuk V.I., Kitzberger T., Klein T., Kramer K., Lens F.P., Levanic T., Linares Calderon J.C., Lloret F., Lobodo-Vale R., Lombardi F., Lopez Rodriguez R., Makinen H., Mayr S., Meszaros I., Metsaranta J.M., Minunno F., Oberhuber W., Papadopoulos A., Peltoniemi M., Petritan A.M., Rohner B., Sanguesa-Barreda G., Sarris D., Smith J.M., Stan A.B., Sterck F., Stojanovic D.B., Suarez M.L., Svoboda M., Tognetti R., Torres-Ruiz J.M., Trotsiuk V., Villalba R., Vodde F., Westwood A.R., Wyckoff P.H., Zafirov N. & Martinez-Vilalta J. (2017), A synthesis of radial growth patterns preceding tree mortality, Global Change Biology 23(4): 1675-1690.
- Neupane S., Lewis P.O., Dessein S., Shanks H., Paudyal S. & Lens F.P. (2017), Evolution of woody life form on tropical mountains in the tribe Spermacoceae (Rubiaceae), American Journal of Botany 104(3): 419-438.
- Trueba S., Pouteau R., Lens F.P., Feild T.S., Isnard S., Olson M.E. & Delzon S. (2017), Vulnerability to xylem embolism as a major correlate of the environmental distribution of rain forest species on a tropical island, Plant, Cell and Environment 40(2): 277-289.
- Lens F.P., Picon-Cochard C., Delmas C.E.L., Signarbieux C., Buttler A., Cochard H., Jansen S., Chauvin T., Chacon Doria L., Arco M. del & Delzon S. (2016), Herbaceous angiosperms are not more vulnerable to drought-induced embolism than angiosperm trees, Plant Physiology 172(2): 661-667.
- Lens F.P., Vos R.A., Charrier G., Niet T. van der, Merckx V.S.F.T., Baas P., Gutierrez J.A., Jacobs B., Chacon Doria L., Smets E.F., Delzon S. & Janssens S.B. (2016), Scalariform-to-simple transition in vessel perforation plates triggered by differences in climate during the evolution of Adoxaceae, Annals of Botany 118(5): 1043-1056.
- Davin N., Edger P.P., Hefer C.A., Mizrachi E., Schuetz M., Smets E.F., Myburg A.A., Douglas C.J., Schranz M.E. & Lens F.P. (2016), Functional network analysis of genes differentially expressed during xylogenesis in soc1ful woody Arabidopsis plants, The Plant Journal 86(5): 376-390.
- Lens F.P., Picon-Cochard C., Delmas C.E.L., Signarbieux C., Buttler A., Cochard H., Jansen S., Chauvin T., Chacon Doria L., Arco M. del & Delzon S. (2016), Herbaceous angiosperms are not more vulnerable to drought-induced embolism than angiosperm trees, Plant Physiology 172(2): 661-667.
- Li S., Lens F.P., Espino S., Karimi Z., Klepsch M., Schenk H.J., Schmitt M., Schuldt B. & Jansen S. (2016), Intervessel pit membrane thickness as a key determinant of embolism resistance in angiosperm xylem, IAWA Journal 37(2): 152-171.
- Gleason S.M., Westoby M., Jansen S., Choat B., Brodribb T.J., Cochard H., Delzon S., Hacke U.G., Jacobsen A.L., Johnson D.M., Lens F.P., Maherali H., Martinez-Vilalta J., Mayr S., McCulloh K.A., Morris H., Nardini A., Plavcova L., Pratt R.B., Schreiber S.G. & Zanne A.E. (2016), On research priorities to advance understanding of the safety-efficiency tradeoff in xylem: A response to Bittencourt etal.'s (2016) comment "On xylem hydraulic efficiencies, wood space-use and the safety-efficiency tradeoff': in this issue of New Phytologist, pp. 1152-1155, New Phytologist 211(4): 1156-1158.
- Lens F.P., Vos R.A., Charrier G., Niet T. van der, Merckx V., Baas P., Gutierrez Aguirre J., Jacobs B., Chacon Doria L., Smets E.F., Delzon S. & Janssens S.B. (2016), Scalariform-to-simple transition in vessel perforation plates triggered by differences in climate during the evolution of Adoxaceae, Annals of Botany 118(5): 1043-1056.
- Kidner C., Groover A., Thomas D.C., Emelianova K., Soliz-Gamboa C. & Lens F.P. (2016), First steps in studying the origins of secondary woodiness in Begonia (Begoniaceae): combining anatomy, phylogenetics, and stem transcriptomics, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 117(1): 121-138.
- Gleason S.M., Westoby M., Jansen S., Choat B., Hacke U.G., Pratt R.B., Bhaskar R., Brodribb T.J., Bucci S.J., Cao K.F, Cochard H., Delzon S., Domec J.C, Fan Z.X., Feild T.S., Jacobsen A.L., Johnson D.M., Lens F.P., Maherali H., Martinez-Vilalta J., Mayr S., McCulloh K.A., Mencuccini M., Mitchell P.J., Morris H., Nardini A., Pittermann J., Plavcova L., Schreiber S.G., Sperry J.S., Wright I.J. & Zanne A.E. (2016), Weak tradeoff between xylem safety and xylem-specific hydraulic efficiency across the world's woody plant species, New Phytologist 209(1): 123-136.
- Angyalossy V., Pace M.R., Evert R.F., Marcati C.R., Oskolski A.A., Terrazas T., Kotina E., Lens F.P., Mazzoni-Viveiros S.C., Angeles G., Machado S.R., Crivellaro A., Rao K.S., Junikka l., Nikolaeva N. & Baas P. (2016), IAWA list of microscopic bark features, IAWA Journal 37(4): 517– 615.
- Merckx V.S.F.T., Hendriks K.P., Beentjes K.K., Mennes C.B., Becking L.E., Peijnenburg K.T.C.A., Afendy A., Arumugam N., Boer H. de, Biun A., Buang M.M., Chen P.P., Chung A.Y.C., Dow R., Feijen F.A.A., Feijen H., Feijen- Soest C. van, Geml J., Geurts R., Gravendeel B., Hovenkamp P., Imbun P., Ipor I., Janssens S.B., Jocque M., Kappes H., Khoo E., Koomen P., Lens F.P., Majapun R.J., Morgado L.N., Neupane S., Nieser N., Pereira J.T., Rahman H., Sabran S., Sawang A., Schwallier R.M., Shim P.S., Smit H., Sol N., Spait M., Stech M., Stokvis F., Sugau J.B., Suleiman M., Sumail S., Thomas D.C., Tol J. van, Tuh F.Y.Y., Yahya B.E., Nais J., Repin R., Lakim M. & Schilthuizen M. (2015), Evolution of endemismon a young tropical mountain, Nature 524(7565): 347-350.
- Zhang N., Zhao J., Lens F.P., Visser J. de, Menamo T., Fang W., Xiao D., Bucher J., Basnet R.K., Lin K., Cheng F., Wang X. & Bonnema G. (2014), Morphology, carbohydrate composition and vernalization response in a genetically diverse collection of Asian and European Turnips (Brassica rapa subsp rapa), 9(12): e114241.
- Lens F.P., Tixier A., Cochard H., Sperry J.S., Jansen S. & Herbette S. (2013), Embolism resistance as a key mechanism to understand adaptive plant strategies, Current Opinion in Plant Biology 16(3): 287-292.
- Eurlings M.C.M., Lens F.P., Pakusza C., Peelen T., Wieringa J.J. & Gravendeel B. (2013), Forensic identification of indian snakeroot (Rauvolfia serpentina Benth. ex Kurz) using DNA barcoding, Journal of Forensic Sciences 58(3): 822-830.
- Lens F.P., Davin N.F., Smets E.F. & Arco M. del (2013), Insular woodiness on the Canary Islands: a remarkable case of convergent evolution, International Journal of Plant Sciences 174(7): 992-1013.
- Lens F.P., Cooper L., Gandolfo M.A., Groover A., Jaiswal P., Lachenbruch B., Spicer R., Staton M.E., Stevenson D.W., Walls R. & Wegrzyn J. (2012), An extension of the Plant Ontology project supporting wood anatomy and development research, IAWA Journal 33(2): 113-117.
- Appelhans M.S., Heuven B.J. van, Lens F. & Baas P. (2012), Phylogenetic and ecological signals in the wood of Spathelioideae (Rutaceae), IAWA J. 33(4): 337-353.
- Lens F., Smets E. & Melzer S. (2012), Stem anatomy supports Arabidopsis thaliana as a model for insular woodiness, New Phytologist 193: 12-17.
- Choat B., Jansen S., Brodribb T.J., Cochard H., Delzon S., Bhaskar R., Bucci S., Feild T.S., Gleason S.M., Hacke U., Jacobsen A.L., Lens F., Maherali H., Martinez-Vilalta J., Mayr S., Mencuccini M., Mitchell P.J., Nardini A., Pittermann J., Pratt R.B., Sperry J.S., Westoby M., Wright I.J. & Zanne A. (2012), Global convergence in the vulnerability of forests to drought, 491: 752-756.
- Lens F., Eeckhout S., Zwartjes R., Smets E. & Janssens S. (2012), The multiple fuzzy origins of woodiness within Balsaminaceae using an integrated approach. Where do we draw the line?, Annals of Botany 109: 783-799.
- Jansen S., Gortan E., Lens F., Lo Gullo M.A., Salleo S., Scholz A., Stein A., Trifilò P. & Nardini A. (2011), Do quantitative vessel and pit characters account for ion-mediated changes in the hydraulic conductance of angiosperm xylem?, New Phytologist 189: 218-228.
- Subedi A., Chaudhary R.P., Achterberg C., Heijerman T., Lens F., Dooren T.J.M. van & Gravendeel B. (2011), Pollination and protection against herbivory of Nepalese Coelogyninae (Orchidaceae), American Journal of Botany 98: 1095-1103 (IF 2010: 3, 052).
- Hamann T., Smets E. & Lens F. (2011), A comparison of paraffin and resin-based techniques used in bark anatomy, Taxon 60(3): 841-851, 4 figs.
- Lens F.P., Sperry J.S., Christman M.A., Choat B., Rabaey D. & Jansen S. (2011), Testing hypotheses that link wood anatomy to cavitation resistance and hydraulic conductivity in the genus Acer, New Phytologist 190(3): 709-723.
- Kattge J., Diaz S., Lavorel S., Prentice C., Leadley P., Boenisch G., Garnier E., Westoby M., Reich P.B., Wright I.J., Cornelissen J.H.C., Violle C., Harrison S.P., Bodegom P.M. van, Reichstein M., Enquist B.J., Soudzilovskaia N.A., Ackerly D.D., Anand M., Atkin O., Bahn M., Baker T.R., Baldocchi D., Bekker R., Blanco C.C., Blonder B., Bond W.J., Bradstock R., Bunker D.E., Casanoves F., Cavender-Bares J., Chambers J.Q., Chapin III F.S., Chave J., Coomes D., Cornwell W.K., Craine J.M., Dobrin B.H., Duarte L., Durka W., Elser J., Esser G., Estiarte M., Fagan W.F., Fang J., Fernandez-Mendez F., Fidelis A., Finegan B., Flores O., Ford H., Frank D., Freschet G.T., Fyllas N.M., Gallagher R.V., Green W.A., Gutierrez A.G., Hickler T., Higgins S.I., Hodgson J.G., Jalili A., Jansen S., Joly C.A., Kerkhoff A.J., Kirkup D., Kitajima K., Kleyer M., Klotz S., Knops J.M.H., Kramer K., Kuehn I., Kurokawa H., Laughlin D., Lee T.D., Leishman M., Lens F.P., Lenz T., Lewis S.L., Lloyd J., Llusia J., Louault F., Ma S., Mahecha M.D., Manning P., Massad T., Medlyn B.E., Messier J., Moles A.T., Mueller S.C., Nadrowski K., Naeem S., Niinemets U., Noellert S., Nueske A., Ogaya R., Oleksyn J., Onipchenko V.G., Onoda Y., Ordonez J., Overbeck G., Ozinga W.A., Patino S., Paula S., Pausas J.G., Penuelas J., Phillips O.L., Pillar V., Poorter H., Poorter L., Poschlod P., Prinzing A., Proulx R., Rammig A., Reinsch S., Reu B., Sack L., Salgado-Negre B., Sardans J., Shiodera S., Shipley B., Siefert A., Sosinski E., Soussana J.F., Swaine E., Swenson N., Thompson K., Thornton P., Waldram M., Weiher E., White M., White S., Wright S.J., Yguel B., Zaehle S., Zanne A.E. & Wirth C. (2011), TRY - a global database of plant traits, Global Change Biology 17(9): 2905-2935.
- Rabaey D., Lens F., Smets E. & Jansen S. (2010), The phylogenetic significance of vestured pits in Boraginaceae, Taxon 59(2): 510-516.
- Jacobs B., Lens F. & Smets E. (2009), Evolution of fruit and seed characters in the Diervilla and Lonicera clades (Caprifoliaceae, Dipsacales), Annals of Botany 104(2): 253-276.
- Lens F., Groeninckx I., Smets E. & Dessein S. (2009), Woodiness within the Spermacoceae-Knoxieae alliance (Rubiaceae): retention of the basal woody condition in Rubiaceae or recent innovation?, Annals of Botany 103(7): 1049-1064, 7 figs.
- Lens F., Endress M.E., Baas P., Jansen S. & Smets E. (2009), Vessel grouping patterns in subfamilies Apocynoideae and Periplocoideae confirm phylogenetic value of wood structure within Apocynaceae, American Journal of Botany 96(12): 2168-2183, 36 figs.
- Lens F., Kårehed J., Baas P., Jansen S., Rabaey D., Huysmans S., Hamann T. & Smets E. (2008), The wood anatomy of the polyphyletic Icacinaceae s.l., and their relationships within asterids, Taxon 57(2): 525-552.
- Melzer S., Lens F., Gennen J., Vanneste S., Rohde A. & Beeckman T. (2008), Flowering-time genes modulate meristem determinacy and growth form in Arabidopsis thaliana, Nature Genetics 40(12): 1489-1492.
- Rabaey D., Huysmans S., Lens F., Smets E. & Jansen S. (2008), Micromorphology and systematic distribution of pit membrane thickenings in Oleaceae: tori and pseudo-tori, International Association of Wood Anatomists Journal 29(4): 409-424.
- Lens F., Endress M.E., Baas P., Jansen S. & Smets E. (2008), Wood anatomy of Rauvolfioideae (Apocynaceae): a search for meaningful non-DNA characters at the tribal level, American Journal of Botany 95(10): 1199-1215.
- Rabaey D., Lens F., Huysmans S., Smets E. & Jansen S. (2008), A comparative ultrastructural study of pit membranes with plasmodesmata associated thickenings in four angiosperm species, Protoplasma 233: 255-262.
- Jansen S., Pletsers A., Rabaey D. & Lens F.P. (2008), VESTURED PITS: A DIAGNOSTIC CHARACTER IN THE SECONDARY XYLEM OF MYRTALES, Journal of Tropical Forest Science 20(4): 328-339.
- Lens F., Baas P., Jansen S. & Smets E. (2007), A search for phylogenetically informative wood characters within Lecythidaceae s.l, American Journal of Botany 94(4): 483-502.
- Jansen S., Sano Y., Choat B., Rabaey D., Lens F.P. & Dute R.R. (2007), Pit membranes in tracheary elements of Rosaceae and related families: New records of tori and pseudotori, American Journal of Botany 94(4): 503-514.
- Lens F.P., Schonenberger J., Baas P., Jansen S. & Smets E.F. (2007), The role of wood anatomy in phylogeny reconstruction of Ericales, Cladistics 23(3): 229-254.
- Rabaey D., Lens F., Smets E. & Jansen S. (2006), The micromorphology of pit membranes in tracheary elements of Ericales: new records of tori or pseudo-tori?, Annals of Botany 98(5): 943-951.
- Lens F., Dressler S., Jansen S., Evelghem L. van & Smets E. (2005), Relationships within balsaminoid Ericales: a wood anatomical approach, American Journal of Botany 92(6): 941-953.
- Dessein S., Ochoterena H., Block H. de, Lens P., Robbrecht E., Schols P., Smets E., Vinkier S. & Huysmans S. (2005), Palynological characters and their phylogenetic signal in Rubiaceae, The Botanical Review 71(3): 354-414.
- Lens F.P., Jansen S., Caris P., Serlet L. & Smets E.F. (2005), Comparative wood anatomy of the primuloid clade (Ericales s.I.), Systematic Botany 30(1): 163-183.
- Lens F.P., Dressler S., Vinckier S., Janssens S., Dessein S., Van Evelghem L. & Smets E.F. (2005), Palynological variation in balsaminoid Ericales. I. Marcgraviaceae, Annals of Botany 96(6): 1047-1060.
- Janssens S., Lens F.P., Dressler S., Geuten K., Smets E.F. & Vinckier S. (2005), Palynological variation in balsaminoid Ericales. II. Balsaminaceae, Tetrameristaceae, Pellicieraceae and general conclusions, Annals of Botany 96(6): 1061-1073.
- Jansen S., Choat B., Vinckier S., Lens F.P., Schols P. & Smets E.F. (2004), Intervascular pit membranes with a torus in the wood of Ulmus (Ulmaceae) and related genera, New Phytologist 163(1): 51-59.
- Jansen S., Watanabe T., Caris P., Geuten K., Lens F.P., Pyck N. & Smets E.F. (2004), The distribution and phylogeny of aluminium accumulating plants in the Ericales, Plant Biology 6(4): 498-505.
- Jansen S., Baas P., Gasson P., Lens F.P. & Smets E.F. (2004), Variation in xylem structure from tropics to tundra: Evidence from vestured pits, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 101(23): 8833-8837.
- Lens F.P., Smets E.F. & Jansen S. (2004), Comparative wood anatomy of Andromedeae s.s., Gaultherieae, Lyonieae and Oxydendreae (Vaccinioideae, Ericaceae s.l.), Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 144(2): 161-179.
- Lens F.P., Kron K.A., Luteyn J.L., Smets E.F. & Jansen S. (2004), Comparative wood anatomy of the blueberry tribe (Vaccinieae, Ericaceae s.l), Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 91(4): 566-592.
- Lens F.P., Luteyn J.L., Smets E.F. & Jansen S. (2004), Ecological trends in the wood anatomy of Vaccinioideae (Ericaceae s.l.), Flora 199(4): 309-319.
- Lens F.P., Gasson P., Smets E.F. & Jansen S. (2003), Comparative wood anatomy of epacrids (Styphelioideae, Ericaceae s.l), Annals of Botany 91(7): 835-856.
- Jansen S., Lens F.P., Ntore S., Piesschaert F., Robbrecht E. & Smets E.F. (2001), Contributions to the wood anatomy of the Rubioideae (Rubiaceae), Journal of Plant Research 114(3): 269-289.
- Lens F.P., Jansen S., Huysmans S., Robbrecht E. & Smets E.F. (2000), Pollen morphological variation in Vanguerieae (Ixoroideae Rubiaceae), Grana 39(2-3): 90-102.
- Lens F.P., Jansen S., Robbrecht E. & Smets E.F. (2000), Wood anatomy of the vanguerieae (Ixoroideae-Rubiaceae), with special emphasis on some geofrutices, IAWA Journal 21(4): 443-455.
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