I am an evolutionary ecologist focused on plant-insect interactions, especially herbivory (i.e., eating plants). Over the past decade, my research program has focused on how herbivores affect plant populations and shape plant traits (ranging from nectar in flowers to chemical defenses). Although my work addresses very fundamental questions (i.e., what determines how big a plant population is?), it has applications to important conservation questions such as controlling invasive species. I have a strong, decade-long collaboration with colleagues at Florida State University (Nora Underwood and Brian Inouye) studying herbivores on Solanum carolinense, a weed native to Florida and other southeastern states but invasive elsewhere. I also have a new project based in Oregon, focused on Solanum dulcamara, a weedy non-native plant.
No Comments Yet