Jennifer Thaler, Cornell University
Professor
Ithaca, New York
thaler@cornell.edu
Office:
(607) 255-7064
Bio/Research
My research has two major goals, both unified by mission of developing a predictive framework for understanding the complex interactions that occur between plant and insect species. Given the ubiquitous nature of insect herbivores on plants, a central goal of modern agriculture is to develop nove...
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Bio/Research
My research has two major goals, both unified by mission of developing a predictive framework for understanding the complex interactions that occur between plant and insect species. Given the ubiquitous nature of insect herbivores on plants, a central goal of modern agriculture is to develop novel methods of pest control. I firmly believe that studies of natural ecological systems, coupled with focused studies of particular agroecosystems, can provide insight into controlling insect pests. Thus, the first major goal of my research is to study the ecological interactions between plants, herbivores, and carnivores in wild and agricultural Solanaceous plant species. Here my approach focuses on understanding behavioral and phytochemical mechanisms of such tri-trophic interactions, and testing theory on the organization of multi-trophic communities. The second goal of my research program is to work on tomato and related crop species in an agroecological setting, to understand the specific role of factors such as plant defense pathways (jasmonate, salicylate, etc.) in mediating interactions between plants, herbivores and pathogens, and predators and parasitoids. By employing modern methods associated with the tomato-model system (genetically modified plants with altered defense signaling, phytochemical analyses, etc.) we are gaining insight into the function of plant defense in tri-trophic interactions and working towards utilizing novel strategies to control insect pests.
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