We are interested in understanding how plants use the phytochromes to obtain information about the proximity of other plants.

In many ecological scenarios, the success of the individual plant is defined by the behavioral decisions that it makes when confronted with the risks of competition with other plants and biomass losses to consumer organisms (such as pathogens and herbivorous insects). These decisions involve expression of shade avoidance responses and induced chemical defenses. Because these responses are costly, they frequently engender resource allocation dilemmas. We investigate how plants use the phytochromes and other specific photoreceptors to obtain information about the proximity of other plants and the signaling networks that translate this information into adaptive behavioral decisions.

Plants have very effective mechanisms to defend themselves from phytophagous insects and pathogenic microorganisms. We are interested in understanding the ecological signals that modulate the expression of these defenses.

Plant defenses are frequently based on the accumulation toxic secondary compounds, and their expression is orchestrated by a number of defense-related hormones. The jasmonates (JA) are a group of lipid regulators that play a key role in activating plant defenses against chewing insects and certain types of plant pathogens. The expression of these defenses may compromise the ability of the plant to grow and compete with other plants. This tradeoff is sometimes called "the dilemma of plants" (i.e., to grow or defend). We investigate the mechanisms that control the expression of JA-inducible plant defenses in response to light signals that plants use to "measure" the risk of competition.

UV radiation is a relatively minor component of the solar spectrum reaching the ground surface. Yet it has many important effects on organisms and biogeochemical cycles in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

We study the effects of solar UV radiation on plant growth and secondary chemistry, and investigate the roles of UV radiation as an environmental signal affecting the development and behavior of plants and other organisms, such as canopy arthropods and phyllosphere microorganisms.

In cooperation with the Austin lab we are working on understanding the mechanisms that mediate the effects of UV and VIS light on the photochemical degradation of plant litter. Photodegradation is an important processes affecting the carbon and nutrient cycles in terrestrial ecosystems, and it may be affected by changes in environmental conditions predicted in future scenarios of global climate change.