NSERC grants at Laurentian University Subventions du CRSNG `a l ...

42Joseph ShorthouseBiology of insect galls, ecology and systematics ofinhabitants, gall morphologyA grant of $15,000 per year.Une subvention de 15 000 $ par année.Discovery Grant – Subvention à la découverteGalls are atypical plant growths that surroundthe feeding sites of specialized insects with thicklayers of modified cells that provide the insectswith food and shelter. They appear as swellingson goldenrod, poplar, willow and roses. How insectsgain control of plant development and redirectgrowth to the insect’s advantage is still unknown, but unraveling thesesecrets will lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms by which plantscontrol their own development.Gall studies are interdisciplinary and involve insect systematics (cataloguingthe kinds and diversity of organisms within galls and their interrelationships),ecology (effects of cold winter temperatures on distribution of gallsand the communities of insects within, relationships between the gallers andtheir parasites), plant development (interpreting cellular changes as gallersturn leaves or stems into new organs) and physiology (determining how gallsdrain energy and nutrients from host plants). The applicant concentrates onone group of galls: the 13 species of cynipid wasps attacking the wild rosesof Canada.The results of this research will help the public understand the complexityand diversity of Canada’s ecosystems, as well as record the diversity and distributionof Canadian insects; and monitoring gall populations over time willhelp explain consequences of global climatic change. Studies on gall anatomyand physiology will explain how insects synthesize new plant compounds, theresults of which may be of interest to pharmaceutical industries. Studies onhost damage will explain how introduced gall insects play a role in biocontrolof weeds.