Welcome to the Kessler Lab
Our lab studies the mechanisms
and ecological consequences of the plants’ induced responses to
herbivore damage, including aspects of multi-trophic interactions, population
ecology, phenotypic plasticity, plant-pollinator interactions and plant
defense mechanisms against herbivores. In particular we are interested
in the ecological relevance of herbivore-induced changes in flower metabolism
and morphology. We are using chemical and molecular tools in manipulative
field and laboratory experiments to understand the mechanisms of elicitation,
signal transduction and defensive secondary metabolite production in plants,
which are attacked by herbivores. The functional analysis of traits involved
in the expression of induced plant responses of native species in their
natural habitats may help to understand the evolution of plant defenses
and eventually allows the utilization of the plants’ own defenses
in sustainable agriculture. Currently we focus on plant model systems
in the nightshade family (Solanaceae), including wild tobacco, Nicotiana
attenuata, horsenettle, Solanum carolinense, and wild tomato
species (Solanum spp.). Moreover, we started a program to understand
the chemical ecology of the complex interactions of goldenrod, Solidago
altissima, with its diverse arthropod community.
