Novel Approaches and Technologies for Understanding How Plants and Herbivores Interact at Multiple Scales

The 13th Gordon Research Conference on Plant-Herbivore Interactions (GRC PHI) will bring together a wide range of topics on plant-herbivore interactions, spanning molecular mechanisms of induced defenses above and below the ground as well as the effects of climate change on communities of plants and insects. Interactions between plants and herbivores have a long history – over 420 million years. Within this time frame, herbivores as large as dinosaurs and as small as a thrips have exerted selection pressures that have shaped plants and plant communities. Over the course of the resulting 'arms race' herbivores have evolved novel abilities to feed on an array of different plant tissues and to overcome a range of plant defenses. Recently our understanding of the mechanisms governing plant-insect interactions has benefited greatly from next-generation molecular and chemical technologies that have seen an explosion in the fields of genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics. Likewise, our understanding of the essential role of microbiota in plant-insect interactions has been greatly enhanced. More recently, during the Anthropocene, selection pressures linked to climate change processes are affecting plant-herbivore interactions. Coupled with increasing human population growth, and the need to secure sustainable food production, it is critical that we increase our understanding of how plants resist herbivores in agro-ecosystems.

This conference brings together a diverse selection of expert speakers to examine plant-herbivore interactions across different temporal and spatial scales. Additionally, this conference will feature a new element, called the Power Hour, which is aimed at supporting the careers of female scientists. For the first time in its history, this conference will be preceded by a Gordon Research Seminar specifically tailored to early-career scientists. We welcome you to join us at this multidisciplinary meeting in Ventura, CA.