植物个体分布在小尺度空间上的非均匀性（异质性）及植物个体对土壤影响的种内和种间差异导致植物-土壤反馈在小尺度空间上也是非均匀的。尽管这种植物-土壤反馈的空间异质性在自然界广泛存在，但有关植物-土壤反馈的研究绝大多数未考虑反馈的这种异质性产生的效应。此外，植物-土壤反馈的空间异质性如何影响植物-昆虫互作关系目前也并不清楚。本项目将结合植物-土壤反馈和土壤异质性实验方法，研究植物-土壤反馈的空间异质性对植物生长、养分元素含量和次生代谢产物含量的影响以及对采食昆虫存活、生长和发育的影响，植物生长、养分元素含量和次生代谢产物含量与昆虫存活、生长和发育之间的关系，植物-土壤反馈的空间异质性对这些关系的影响，以及昆虫采食对植物-土壤反馈的植物效应的影响，揭示植物-土壤反馈的空间异质性对植物-昆虫互作的影响机制，促进植物-土壤反馈理论及植物-昆虫互作理论的发展。

Plants are heterogeneously distributed and their influences on soils vary a lot among different individuals of the same and different plant species, and this can lead to spatial variation in plant-soil feedback (PSF). However, very few PSF studies have tested the effects of spatial PSF heterogeneity. Moreover, it is still unclear whether spatial PSF heterogeneity can influence plant-insect interactions. In the proposed project, combing methodology in classic soil heterogeneity experiments with plant-soil feedback approaches, I aim to study the effects of spatial PSF heterogeneity on the growth, nutrient contents and secondary metabolites of plants, the survival, growth and development of insect herbivores and the relationships between the survival, growth and development of the insect herbivore and the growth, nutrient contents and secondary metabolites of the plants. I am also going to study the effects of insect herbivores on the responses of plants to spatial PSF heterogeneity. This project will unravel the underlying mechanisms of plant-insect interactions driven by spatial PSF heterogeneity, and promote the theoretical development of PSFs and plant-insect interactions.