College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Entomology

Research

My lab investigates how phytochemical trait diversity shapes plant-insect-soil microbe interactions, insect pest management, and invasion and establishment of non-native species. We study this in a range of systems ranging from natural communities to agroecosystems to wetland marshes.

Research Focus

· Biodiversity

· Chemical ecology

· Biological control

· Pest management

· Agroecology

· Biological Invasions

Enhancing biological control using odor diversity

Insect pests threaten crop production, and increasing plant biodiversity is a key ecological strategy for sustainable pest control. However, research has largely ignored plant odor diversity and its effects on insect search behavior. This project investigates how crop odor diversity impacts pest colonization and biocontrol by natural enemies. By identifying odor cue combinations that influence host-plant detection, my lab aims to develop strategies that deter pests, prevent colonization, or attract their natural enemies for effective biocontrol.

Effects of chemical trait dissimilarity on biological invasion succession

Trophic interactions depend on their spatial location within a phytochemically diverse landscape. My research has shown that turnover in chemical traits among individual plants serves as a key functional defense against herbivory in natural and agricultural settings. However, spatial chemical variation’s role in enemy escape and competition remains

underexplored in invasive plant success. This project investigates how phytochemical trait differences (chemical beta diversity) between native and invasive congeners influence invasion dynamics. My lab will test whether biochemical landscapes affect community resistance, enemy release, and interactions with soil microbes in invasion processes.

Consequence of secondary metabolites in floral rewards on insect pollinators

Plants produce diverse chemical compounds, many studied for their defensive role against herbivores. Compounds like caffeine, aconitine, nicotine, thymol, linalool, lupanine, and grayanotoxins are also present in floral nectar and pollen, yet their effects on pollinator foraging and floral pathogen transmission remain unclear. This project aims to investigate how these defensive metabolites influence pollination and disease spread. My lab will examine how these compounds affect pollinator behavior, their metabolism and sequestration in pollinators, and whether they alter the transmission of floral pathogens in flowers.

Consequences of pesticide use on crop microbiomes:

Broad patterns of plant defense syndromes arise from resource availability and biotic pressures, with plants in resource-poor environments investing more in defense or inducing chemical responses to herbivory. Recent research highlights bacterial and fungal endophytes as key contributors to these syndromes, yet it remains unclear whether pesticide use in large-scale agroecosystems disrupts the natural microbiome shaping plant chemical traits. My lab aims to determine whether pesticide application on crops like tomatoes and cucumbers affects their natural secondary defenses, potentially altering plant resistance and interactions with herbivores.