Christy Harris

I am interested in the chemical interactions involved in attracting natural enemies, namely parasitoids, to insect crop pests.  Herbivore damage (i.e. caterpillar feeding) has been shown to induce plants to release volatile compounds which can be perceived by parasitoid wasps and help guide them to their hosts.  My research aims to answer the following questions:

1. How does herbivore-induced volatile induction vary among different species of plants?
2. How does plant volatile induction vary when two closely-related species of caterpillars  are feeding?
3. How do these differences affect parasitoid attraction, both in the lab and in natural settings?