Expert In
Bio/Research
My research program focuses on disease ecology in plant communities. Using manipulative field and greenhouse experiments, my students and I have examined how landscape heterogeneity, plant community diversity and composition, host genetic diversity, and plant density and dispersion affect herbivo...
Click to Expand >>
Click to Expand >>
Bio/Research
My research program focuses on disease ecology in plant communities. Using manipulative field and greenhouse experiments, my students and I have examined how landscape heterogeneity, plant community diversity and composition, host genetic diversity, and plant density and dispersion affect herbivores and pathogens in natural and agricultural ecosystems. We have addressed these topics in various locations in the U.S., Central America, Southeast Asia, and Africa. I am particularly interested in the influence of plant community structure on the epidemiology of insect-borne pathogens of plants, along with the reciprocal impacts of pathogens on the structure of plant communities. In recent years, we have used a group of aphid-transmitted viruses, widespread pathogens of grasses, as a model system to address virus dynamics in western grasslands, co-infection by multiple pathogens, and the ecological risks of transgenic virus resistance in crops. I also have a long-standing interest in agroecology and the interface between food security, food systems, and ecosystem services to and from agricultural systems.
Click to Shrink <<
Click to Shrink <<