Research

Thermal image of soybean leaf with damage

My research focuses on global change biology, ecophysiology, and sustainability science.

Plant-insect interactions in a high CO2 world

In the past, the effects of leaf herbivory on leaf function and plant production have been assumed to be constrained to, and correlate with areas of visible damage. With my collaborators, I have developed a chlorophyll fluorescence imaging system that has provided the first spatially resolved measurements of plant defense compound production coupled with spatially resolved photosynthesis measurements and overall leaf gas-exchange. I am exploring how damage from insects affects leaf processes at scales ranging from a few cells to the entire plant. This information is combined with my studies of ecosystem-level plant-insect interactions in intact forests and agroecosystems to understand the role of insect herbivores in these communities.
At the ecosystem level, I am studying the role of insect herbivores in plant communities. Data from growth chambers and open-top chambers have indicated that the amounts of leaf tissue lost to insect herbivores may change as elevated CO2 alters leaf tissue chemistry. Using digital image analysis, assays of leaf chemical composition, stable isotope chemistry of arthropods, and extensive sampling of arthropod communities, I am studying how the amount of leaf damage from insects in different feeding guilds varies for different tree species under different global change scenarios.

Insect conservation and global change

Ecologists have documented hundreds of cases where anthropogenic global change is affecting natural communities and ecosystems. Success at endangered species conservation and management will increasingly depend on our ability to account for global change. With my colleagues, I am studying how endangered insects are being affected by climate change, elevated CO2 in the atmosphere, etc.

Forestry and Non-timber forest products in central New York
As co-chair of Ithaca College Natural Lands (ICNL), and Faculty Manager of our three reserves, I am involved in the ongoing stewardship of Ithaca College’s natural areas. This involves endangered species management, sustainable forestry, showcase microenterprises of non-timber forest products such as mushrooms, ginseng, and goldenseal, pest management, erosion management, recreation, etc.

Sustainability science & Center for Natural Sciences Sustainability Group

I am one of the founding members of the Finger Lakes Sustainability Project. We are involved in the scholarship of teaching and service to develop ways to educate on the fundamental character of the interactions between natural systems and human societies. We consult, train, and experiment with ways to incorporate sustainability into every academic discipline, campus operations, campus life, local businesses, local government, and local community.

Specific projects with I.C. students have included:

• Ouch!: Plant responses to being bitten
• Bad News: Climate change and endangered insects
• Carbon and Caffeine: System ecology and a local coffee company
• The Power of the Sun: Development of a solar fountain on I.C. campus
• Magic Mushrooms & Herbs: Non-timber forest products in the Finger Lakes
• Ecology Meets Society: Creation of I.C.’s natural reserve system

Research Publicity

Work that I started while at the University of Illinois and continue at Ithaca College has gained international attention.  The research on the effects of folivory was recently reported on in Der Spiegel (Germany's equivalent of Time Magazine).  The instrument that my collegues and I developed for this research was spotlighted in a news article at optics.org.  Another article entitled, "LEDs help map photosynthesis in leaves", was published in Biophotonics International (May 2002): 35-36.

SoyFACE Illinois site