| Affiliations: | STEM Research Leadership |
| Project Leader: | Emily Russavage emily.russavage@tamu.edu Entomology |
| Faculty Mentor: | Micky Eubanks, Ph.D |
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Meeting Times:
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TBA |
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Team Size:
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4 |
| Open Spots: | 0 |
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Special Opportunities:
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Students will have the opportunity to learn how to rear/maintain plants and insect colonies, complete behavioral assays, collect and analyze plant volatile chemicals, use GCMS, and perform statistical analyses in the program R. Students will have the opportunity to present research at local and regional conferences.
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Team Needs:
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Basic knowledge of biology (e.g., ecology or molecular biology) is recommended. Students interested in learning about chemical ecology, plant-insect interactions, and biological control preferred. Must be comfortable working with plants, soil, and various insects (aphids, ants, parasitic wasps, lacewings). |
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Description:
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Plants produce a diverse range of volatile chemical compounds in response to herbivore feeding. Researchers have discovered that these chemical compounds are excellent cues that assist insect predators and parasites in locating their prey (the herbivore). The goal of this study is to determine the attractiveness of various sorghum cultivars to aphid predators and parasites. There is great untapped potential to use these chemically-mediated interactions to improve pest management in agriculture. |