I’ve been very fortunate to have studied many things in many places with many people. Much of my research to date has focused on the biology and ecology of grasshoppers, locusts and Mormon crickets. More recently, I’ve been given the chance to expand my research program to problems in cotton entomology. It’s a pretty unique opportunity, and I am happy to say that the lab is up and running on multiple fronts. Although the emphasis has shifted to cotton research, locust biology and anything else that strikes an interest continues to be fair game in the lab.
Current projects in the lab include:
- Fungal endophyte diversity in cotton
- Fungal endophyte-insect interactions
- Fungal endophyte-nematode interactions
- Fungal endophyte-mediated drought resistance
- Sucking bug (Hemiptera) population genetics, host plant ecology and microbial interactions
- Cotton Bollworm nutritional ecology and stress responses
- Lygus bug nutritional ecology
- Grasshopper host plant use ecology and evolution
- Boll weevil population genomics and spatial ecology
- Functional genomics of grasshoppers and locusts
- DNA-based identification of herbivore and predator diets
Some information about current and past projects can be found at the links below.
Grasshopper-plant interactions