UA, Centre for Plant Animal Interaction Studies

Eleven faculty members from Department of Biological Sciences are active members of the PLAI Group

James F. Cahill, Jr.	Research in my lab is focused on understanding the processes which regulate plant diversity in grassland communities. Of particular interest are belowground interactions among plants, and how competition for soil resources can lead to species exclusion.
David S. Hik	My research examines aspects of community ecology, with an emphasis on interactions between different trophic levels, in particular the lethal and sublethal effects of herbivory. More generally I am interested in the application of ecological theory to applied problems in conservation and restoration ecology.
Mark R.T. Dale	The general area of my research is statistical plant ecology. I am interested in the development and evaluation of statistical methods with which to test ecological hypotheses. In recent years, I have been concentrating on the development of spatial pattern in plant communities, how to evaluate it, and the factors that affect it. With my students, we have investigated a range of different vegetation types including saxicolous and epiphytic lichens, subalpine vegetation in primary succession, native prairie grasses, boreal herbs, and agricultural weed communities.
Evelyn Merrill	My research interests have focused on large mammals with emphasis on foraging and nutritional ecology of ungulates, plant herbivore interactions, and the effects of landscape modifications on wildlife populations. Current interest lies in linking small-scale processes to large-scale patterns in animal distribution and population dynamics.

James F. Cahill, Jr.	Research in my lab is focused on understanding the processes which regulate plant diversity in grassland communities. Of particular interest are belowground interactions among plants, and how competition for soil resources can lead to species exclusion.
David S. Hik	My research examines aspects of community ecology, with an emphasis on interactions between different trophic levels, in particular the lethal and sublethal effects of herbivory. More generally I am interested in the application of ecological theory to applied problems in conservation and restoration ecology.
Evelyn Merrill	My research interests have focused on large mammals with emphasis on foraging and nutritional ecology of ungulates, plant herbivore interactions, and the effects of landscape modifications on wildlife populations. Current interest lies in linking small-scale processes to large-scale patterns in animal distribution and population dynamics.
Jens Roland	Research in my lab focuses on population ecology and dynamics of insects in a spatial or landscape perspective. Projects examine both the large-scale pattern of population change, and the mechanism by which landscape alters the processes which drive those dynamics.

C. Peter Constabel

My research is focused on how trees, in particular Populus species, defend themselves against insect pests and pathogens. In my laboratory we use hybrid poplar and trembling aspen as experimental systems, where we can apply molecular biology and biochemical techniques to ask the following questions: 1. What mechanisms have trees evolved to defend themselves against insect pests? 2. How are these defenses activated and regulated?

John F. Addicott	My research program focuses primarily on the ecology and evolution of the mutualistic interactions between aphids and ants, yuccas and yucca moths, and figs and fig wasps. We study the regulation of costs and benefits, the ecology and evolution of cheating, coevolution between plant and pollinator, and competition for mutualists in these mutualist systems. We also study the impact of environmental division and heterogeneity on ecological process.
David S. Hik	My research examines aspects of community ecology, with an emphasis on interactions between different trophic levels, in particular the lethal and sublethal effects of herbivory. More generally I am interested in the application of ecological theory to applied problems in conservation and restoration ecology.
John R. Spence	My students and I work in three general areas bridging evolution and ecology: 1) structure and dynamics of arthropod populations, 2) integration of communities, especially those under anthropogenic influence and 3) the nature and evolution of arthropod species and their life-histories. Issues in these foci are richly interconnected and I believe that a synthetic approach is central for full understanding of biological issues and for rational management of sustainable ecosystems. Thus, the research program in my lab couples broad scientific objectives with the promise of shorter term applications in management and conservation of forests and wetlands.
Felix Sperling	Research in my laboratory encompasses the full scope of insect systematics. The focus of individual projects ranges from the phylogeny of genera and families to DNA fingerprint variation within populations and the genetic architecture of speciation. We are concerned with both ecological and evolutionary processes, and deal with insects in numerous different orders. We also contribute to the Strickland Museum of Entomology, which contains over one million insect specimens.

Randy Currah	Taxonomy, ecology and development of mycorrhizae in endomycorrhizal angiosperms (Orchidaceae and Ericaceae). Taxonomy, ecology and evolution of keratinophilic fungi. Ascospore morphology and ultrastructure, enzymes and anamorph characters in the taxonomy of ascomycetes. Taxonomy of Rhizoctonia and rhizoctonia-like fungi. Ecology and distribution of ectomycorrhizal macrofungi.
Andrew Keddie	Pathogen-host interactions from the cellular to organism levels, primarily baculoviruses in lepidopteran hosts, and the role of pathogens in the population biology of phytophagous insects.