Plant defenses against insect herbivory

 

Co-chairs: Vered Tzin1 and Moshe Gish2

1 Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

2 Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, University of Haifa

 

The evolutionary arms race between plants and herbivores has led to complex ecological interactions that play a critical role in most ecosystems. Insect herbivores evolved different strategies to avoid or handle plant

defense mechanisms. Thus, plants in nature are

continuously challenged by diverse insect herbivores

and produce defenses to reduce insect damage and

preserve their fitness. Elucidating these defense

mechanisms is critical for a better understanding of

the ecological interactions between plants and their

insect antagonists. Studying plant defense mechanisms

also plays a key role in agricultural research, where it

facilitats the improvement of plant protection techniques.

 

During the Plant Ecology 2017 meeting, we will offer:

·       A session of plant defenses against insect herbivory.

·       A roundtable discussion about future directions in plant defense research.