I am a community ecologist interested in the interaction between plants and their herbivores. My current research in this area examines the ways that alkaloid defenses of several species of Baptisia plants are induced by herbivores and influenced by mutualistic nitrogen-fixing bacteria. I have also become interested in the ways that arthropod diversity, abundance, and phenology are influenced by different environmental factors such as habitat quality and elevated urban temperatures.
As an Assistant Professor at a liberal arts college, much of my research involves undergraduate students and other collaborators. See the student projects link for more details.
vanzandtlab 