International Research Fellowship Program: Interactions Among Tropical Plants, Herbivores, Pathogens and Endophytic Fungi

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0401957VanBaelThe International Research Fellowship Program enables U.S. scientists and engineers to conduct three to twenty-four months of research abroad. The program's awards provide opportunities for joint research, and the use of unique or complementary facilities, expertise and experimental conditions abroad.This award will support a twenty-two-month research fellowship by Dr. Sunshine A. VanBael to work with Dr. Nelida Gomez at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama.Fungal endophytes are microorganisms that live inside, rather than on the surface, of healthy plant tissue. Endophytes have been found in all plants sampled, but little is known about how endophytes interact with plants and their natural enemies. The best studied endophyte systems are those with temperate, domesticated grasses. Here, the endophytic fungi are vertically transmitted (from mother to seed) and protect their hosts by producing compounds that deter herbivores. In tropical areas, however, investigation into the ecological and evolutionary roles of endophytic fungi has just begun. In contrastto the better studied grass systems, tropical endophytes are highly diverse, are horizontally transmitted (via spores), show host-plant affinities, and exhibit anti-pathogen activity. The PI will study how endophytic fungi modify plant/herbivore/pathogen interactions between Cassidine beetles (Cassidinae: Chrysomelidae) and their host plants (Convulvulaceae/Solanaceae) in Panama. These organisms were chosen as a model system because we have extensive background knowledge about their behavior,distribution, host-specificity and chemical ecology. Moreover, preliminary collections of the host plant material indicate that their endophytes are common, diverse and show host-plant affinity. This research will be the first to study interactions between plants, endophytes and herbivores in a tropical system. The host institution (STRI) is an ideal place to pursue this research because it requires input and facilities from several lab groups at STRI and the University of Panama, with which STRI maintains a scientific cooperation agreement.