Influence of the host plant on the ecology of forest insect herbivores

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My long-term research goals are: i) to understand the processes influencing the abundance and distribution of tree- and crop-eating insects, especially the role of the plant that they feed on; and ii) to use this information in pest management programs that diminish our need for pesticides. Although the host plant is generally considered to play a major role in the population dynamics of insects feeding on hardwoods, most previous studies with galling and defoliating insects on conifers have emphasized the role of natural enemies (i.e., parasites, predators and disease). I will carry out field surveys and manipulative field experiments to determine the independent and interacting effects of plant characteristics and natural enemies on the abundance and performance of insect feeding on small white and black spruce trees, large hemlock trees and on birch trees. The underlying hypothesis of my research is that variations in these factors within individual plants is as great as that between plants, and thus that variations within plants can have as great an effect on insects as variations among plants. Results from these studies will advance our understanding of interactions between insects and plants but will also provide information needed to provide environmentally friendly management tools for common forest pests.