Mechanisms of host colonization in conifer--feeding insects

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The 35% of Canada's area covered by forests benefits us in many ways. It provides employment for over 200,000 people, contributes $24.6 billion towards the GDP, and provides important cultural and ecosystem services. Forest insect pests, both native and invasive, have profound ecological and economic impacts. In 2016, 15.5 million ha of forests were affected by insects in Canada. Although native insects are important members of the forest ecosystem, perturbations can disrupt the balance between insects and their host and lead to major outbreaks. These threats are expected to increase as climate change disrupts the historical climatic suitability ranges of both trees and insects, such that immobile, slow-growing trees will confront both sub-optimal growth conditions and an influx of new insect species. The long-term goals of my research program are to understand the mechanisms insects use to colonize their host, the ways conifers defend against colonization, and then to apply this knowledge to produce more resilient forests through novel pest management tools, identifying specific genetic adaptions that improve tree resistance traits, and informing tree breeding. How do insects overcome (avoid, tolerate, resist, or detoxify) the complex physical and chemical defences of their host trees? The proposed research will increase our understanding of this process in several insect pests. These include the mountain pine beetle, the spruce beetle, and the spruce budworm, which are native to Canada, and also the gypsy moth, which is a threatening invasive species. My approach is interdisciplinary; chemical analyses, genomics, molecular biology, biochemistry, and in vivo studies are used to understand the ecology at a mechanistic level. This approach provides a diverse training opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral trainees, and technicians.