Collaborative Research: Herbivore interactions and plant responses: from foliar chemistry to communities

这个项目试图了解两种入侵害虫--绵毛虫和铁杉鳞甲--如何影响东部铁杉。毛茸茸的阿德尔吉摧毁了北美东海岸的铁杉森林，但同样常见的铁杉鳞片的影响微乎其微。尽管常识表明两种害虫比一种害虫更糟糕，但研究表明情况恰恰相反。耐人寻味的是，长着细长鳞片的树木似乎以某种方式免受了这种疾病的侵袭。要想了解为什么会发生这种情况，以及接种一种害虫是否可以保护树木免受另一种害虫的侵害，需要了解树木是如何防御和应对攻击的。研究人员联合开展了一个项目，利用实验和数学模型相结合的方法，绘制出植物对森林病虫害的反应“路线图”。具体地说，他们将评估每种害虫如何影响植物的防御和养分储存。鉴于许多种类的害虫造成的经济和生态损失，详细了解森林如何受到多种害虫的影响(以及可能受到保护)是极其重要的。通过确定响应途径，这项研究的结果可以应用于其他系统，以预测多种草食动物对森林健康的可能影响。该项目还为城市学童提供了一个机会，让他们更多地了解附近的森林。研究人员与SMILE(科学和数学调查学习体验)建立了合作伙伴关系，这是一个总部设在当地的组织，为表现不佳学区的孩子提供丰富活动。研究生和SILE工作人员将与教师合作，开发和实施为期一年的森林和食物网教育模块。该奖项提供的资金将用于支付到当地森林进行实地考察的费用，以帮助学生了解这些系统并调查铁杉是否存在入侵害虫。

This project seeks to understand how two invasive insect pests, the woolly adelgid and the hemlock scale, affect eastern hemlock trees. The woolly adelgid has devastated entire forests of hemlock along the east coast of North America, but the hemlock scale -- which is just as common -- has had minimal impact. Although common sense indicates that two pests are worse than one, research suggests the opposite. Intriguingly, trees infested with elongate scale seem somehow protected from the adelgid. Understanding why this happens and whether 'inoculation' with one pest might protect the tree from another type of pest requires understanding how trees defend themselves and respond to attack. Researchers have teamed up on a project that uses a combination of experiments and mathematical models to develop a 'road map' of plant responses to forest pests. Specifically, they will assess how each pest affects plant defenses and nutrient storage.Given the economic and ecological losses caused by many species of insect pests, it is tremendously important to develop a detailed understanding of how forests are impacted by (and might be protected from) multiple pests. By identifying the response pathway, the results of this study can be applied to other systems to predict the likely impact of multiple herbivores on forest health. This project also provides an opportunity for urban schoolchildren to learn more about nearby forests. The researchers have developed a partnership with SMILE (Science and Math Investigative Learning Experiences), a locally-based group that offers enrichment activities to children from poorly-performing school districts. Graduate students and SMILE staff will work with teachers to develop and implement a year-long educational module on forests and food webs. Funding provided by this award will be used to pay for field trips to local forests to help students learn about these systems and survey hemlocks for the presence of invasive pests.