Understanding plant-insect interactions
using chemical, molecular, and community ecology
The overarching goal of my research program is to examine local and systemic plant defense against insect herbivory and effects on surrounding ecological communities. Ultimately, my findings generate improved understanding of plant responses to herbivory, identifying sustainable solutions for protecting plants in natural and agricultural ecosystems. My research answers the following questions:
1. What are the chemical mechanisms and ecological consequences of plant defense against aboveground or belowground insect herbivory?​
Research on plant defense has historically focused on aboveground leaf-feeding insects, but there is mounting interest in root responses to belowground herbivory. However, whether plants deploy similar defenses against aboveground herbivores compared to belowground root-feeders remains unclear. Moreover, in addition to activating plant defenses locally at the site of attack, insect herbivory also induces systemic defense throughout the whole plant. Beyond a handful of study systems, systemic plant defense and subsequent effects on ecological communities remain largely unrecognized and poorly understood. To address these knowledge gap, my research evaluates plant defense against insect herbivory within and across aboveground/belowground plant systems and effects on surrounding ecological communities.​
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2. How do plant-associated microbes modulate plant-insect interactions?
There is growing recognition that microbes systemically enhance plant growth, nutrients, and defense, altering interactions with insect herbivores. When microbes strengthen systemic plant defense against herbivory, this is considered a ‘bottom-up’ effect. In contrast, insect feeding damage can also induce ‘top-down’ effects and alter plant-associated microbes. However, research on both ‘bottom-up’ and ‘top-down’ effects is scarce, and no studies to date have evaluated how these effects are influenced by crop rotation in agricultural ecosystems. My research elucidates the role of plant-associated microbial communities in plant-insect interactions, focusing on ‘bottom-up’ and ‘top-down’ effects. I am also working in collaboration with the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center to investigate how microbial communities and tree species diversity influence insect herbivore host-plant selection using the long-term BiodiversiTREE Experiment.
