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One of the long-standing challenges in ecology and evolutionary biology is uncovering and understanding the mechanisms that govern ecological interactions. These often involve multiple species, vary in their direction and intensity contingent on the environment, and depends on the scale at which they are evaluated (e.g. from individuals to species). Our research focuses on how plant traits shape – and are shaped by – the interaction with insect herbivores and pollinators, and how the abiotic environment modulates such interactions.
We answer these and related questions by combining chemical ecology, population genetics and genomics, and molecular approaches in both field and lab experiments. We aim to broaden our understanding of how plants and insects coevolve in the context of community ecology, and how their interactions may change along environmental gradients and due to global change. Our lab is in the School of Biological Sciences at Illinois State University. Positions available for undergraduate and graduate students to join the lab will be advertised in the Join us! page. Candidates interested in joining the lab through externally funded opportunities are always welcome. 
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ContactGoldar Lab
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