Conservation Biological Control
Using Native Plants to Support Beneficial Insects:
In the coming field seasons, we will be assessing the attractiveness of native plant species to different beneficial insects. We are investigating three main areas:
- Plant-Insect Associations:
- Which insect species occur on which plant?
- Physical Characteristics:
- Are there correlations between certain plant traits and the number or kinds of insects that are attracted?
- Chemical Characteristics:
- How does the chemical content of nectar and pollen affect insect visitation and how might plant volatiles play a role?