RESEARCH | futuredryoon

My dissertation focuses on expanding our knowledge of ecological immunology; the goal of this particular field of ecology is to determine how components of ecological variation can affect immunological variation in the wild. Specifically, I seek to understand how introduced plant species can affect the immune response of insects in natural populations. In order to address these questions, I have conducted observational and experimental projects on wild populations of the Melissa blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa) in the Great Basin Desert located in Northern Nevada. This specialist plant-feeding butterfly is of interest from an evolutionary ecology standpoint because it has recently undergone a host expansion; it has incorporated a novel, introduced host plant into its diet.

I have used this host expansion as a comparative framework to understand how ecological components can change the immune response; the novel host plant represents a novel nutritional, chemical, and microbial resource, all factors that can potentially impact the insect immune response. By comparing immune strength on the novel and ancestral host plants, I seek to further the field of ecological immunology by quantifying the relative strength of ecological variation in the wild, and shedding light on how this variation impacts immunity. Further, by quantifying different levels of ecological variation simultaneously, I can test for potential interactions between these factors. Introduced species are a major component of global change, and understanding how introduced plant species can potentially affect the immunity of native insects will be critical for future conservation efforts.