Microbe-induced plant resistance against insect pests

I am broadly interested in how species interactions influence community structure and ecosystem function. I currently study this using a crop plant – invertebrate – microbe system, to understand how interactions between plants and beneficial soil microbes, and aphids and their protective endosymbionts, are modified by interactions with other species and the abiotic environment.

My work aims to understand microbe-induced plant resistance to insects at the molecular level and how to transfer this into the field for sustainable agriculture

Current Projects

Plant-invertebrate-microbe interactions

My research investigates how we can use beneficial soil bacteria and earthworms to increase plant yield while simultaneously defending against insect pests - essentially using beneficial species interactions to mitigate the loss of yield we see when we reduce chemical pesticide and synthetic fertilizer inputs. Using a combination of greenhouse/field experiments and molecular analyses, I will characterise these interactions from the ‘genome to the field’. 

BBSRC International Partnering Awards (2022-2026)

Spain: Towards identifying common patterns of microbe-induced plant resistance against insect pests 

NERC Exploring the Frontiers (2023-2024) Impact of plant-beneficial soil microbes on aboveground parasitism of insect herbivores

BBSRC David Phillips Fellowship (2019-2025) Unravelling beneficial multi-species interactions in a cereal crop system. PDRA: Crispus Mbaluto (2021-2024)

DFG (German Research Foundation) grant (2018-2022). We study the impact of beneficial plant rhizobacteria on the suppression of aboveground aphid populations across varying abiotic environments (CO2, O3, nutrients) and biotic environments (earthworms). 

Aphid secondary bacterial symbionts

Aphid secondary bacterial symbionts can have wide ranging effects on the aphid host. We investigate how they can mediate interactions between the aphid and the surrounding plant community, primarily on field-collected aphids.

Royal Society Research Grant (2023-2024) Multiple hosting of bacterial endosymbionts in aphids: a benefit or a burden?

British Ecological Society small research grant (2017-2018)

PhD students

NERC ACCE PhD Project (Andrea Ceribelli, 2023-2027)

This project will measure fitness effects of hosting protective aphid symbionts (against parasitoid wasps and entomopathogenic fungi), with the aim to use these to examine the impact of symbionts on community dynamics over time in controlled mesocosms.

NERC ACCE PhD Project (Edward Cairns 2022-2026)

This project explores the belowground microbiome after inoculation with beneficial rhizobacteria, to identify facilitative effects with other microbes, including other bacteria and fungi.

BBSRC NLD-DTP PhD project (Megan Parker 2020-2025)

We investigate the effect of inoculating plants with beneficial rhizobacteria on plant volatiles. Volatiles can attract natural enemies of insect pests to increase natural biological control.