HLA 2026 Spring Seminar Series - Kadeem Gilbert
Kadeem J. Gilbert, PhD
Assistant Professor
Kellogg Biological Station, Department of Plant Biology Ecology, Evolution, & Behavior Program, Plant Resilience Institute, Michigan State University
Thursday January 29th, at 3:30pm, HORT 117 or via Zoom.
Pigments and pH: Plant traits temper their interactions
All plants must contend with numerous arthropod and microbial associates; thus, plants have evolved multiple ways of regulating their interactions with other organisms, i.e., deterring antagonists and promoting mutualists. Individual leaf traits can signal different things to herbivores and pollinators, and physiological traits can be used to alter the environment experienced by communities of symbionts. In this talk, I will discuss current and ongoing work in my lab covering traits regulating plant biotic interactions in multiple systems, including carnivorous pitcher plants, which, in addition to fending off herbivores and attracting pollinators, must also attract insect prey and contend with symbiotic organisms living in their modified leaves. I will highlight anthocyanin pigmentation as a key visual trait and pH regulation as a key physiological trait for interactions with arthropods and microbes.