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Marjorie Weber (PI)
I am an evolutionary ecologist, interested in how ecological interactions impact phenotypic evolution and diversification across evolutionary scales. My research focuses on interactions between plants and arthropods, and evaluates hypotheses that link plant-arthropod interactions with macroevolutionary patterns. I work in many systems, including ant-plant and ant-mite mutualisms, plant defense, and plant-pollination interactions. I am particularly interested in understanding the role that species interactions play in the evolution of bizarre phenotypes, such as flowers, chemical defenses, or the fascinating structures found on plants that attract and retain arthropod bodyguards.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Email: weberm11(at)msu.edu
Google scholar profile
CV
I am an evolutionary ecologist, interested in how ecological interactions impact phenotypic evolution and diversification across evolutionary scales. My research focuses on interactions between plants and arthropods, and evaluates hypotheses that link plant-arthropod interactions with macroevolutionary patterns. I work in many systems, including ant-plant and ant-mite mutualisms, plant defense, and plant-pollination interactions. I am particularly interested in understanding the role that species interactions play in the evolution of bizarre phenotypes, such as flowers, chemical defenses, or the fascinating structures found on plants that attract and retain arthropod bodyguards.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Email: weberm11(at)msu.edu
Google scholar profile
CV
Eric LoPresti (NSF Postdoctoral Fellow)
I did my PhD on the ecology of plants with "external defenses" and will continue in this vein for my post-doc. I will be studying the ecology and evolutionary history of sand entrapment at a small scale in the genus Abronia and at a large scale across the plant phylogeny. I will also be looking at the effects on mandibular structure of the insect herbivores which eat these plants. website: http://www.ericflopresti.com/ Google scholar profile |
Margaret Fleming (Postdoctoral Researcher)
I am a molecular biologist who likes finding molecular (particularly DNA or RNA-based) explanations for complex phenotypes in plants. My current project focuses on a complex leaf phenotype in grapevine, where some species' leaves make hairs on their undersides that form pockets or caves that mites like to occupy, but related species lack these structures and their mite occupants. We would like to know about the genetic underpinnings of leaf hair production and distribution over the leaf, and relate that to grapevine speciation and grapevine/mite ecology. Google Scholar Profile Research Gate |
Andrew Myers (Postdoctoral Researcher)
I'm thrilled to be a part of the Weber Lab! My research interests are in ecology, natural history, and conservation biology, and I love projects that include all of these aspects. My PhD work involved understanding interactions among monarch butterflies, host plants, and other milkweed arthropods with the goal of enhancing monarch conservation efforts. As a postdoc I am excited to apply what I've learned about plant-arthropod interactions to unravel the fascinating ecology of the Vitis-mite mutualism to determine how leaf trait evolution shapes and is shaped by the miniature communities they host. Stay tuned for more details! |
Ash Zemenick (Postdoctoral Researcher shared with Forrestel Lab at UC Davis)
I am a community ecologist interested in plant-arthropod interactions, and their role in structuring microbial communities. For my PhD I worked to disentangle how the structure of plant-flower visitor interactions varies for different types of flower visitors, and the implications of varying structure for floral microbe communities. During my post doc, I will be studying how plant-mite interactions directly and indirectly influence leaf microbial communities and subsequent invasibility by pathogens. I will also be working on building a repository of introductory biology teaching material that humanizes the field of biology and biologists. It will include how biological research applies to current societal problems and highlight what it is like to be a biologist. The materials will be composted of examples provided by biologists that self-identify as being part of underrepresented group(s) in STEM (e.g. in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, sex, sexuality, income, nationality, immigrant status, cognitive and physical ability, etc.). website: http://ashzemenick.weebly.com/ Google scholar Profile |
Bruce Martin (PhD student)
I am broadly interested in understanding the factors underlying disparities in biodiversity across space and taxa, and I believe integrating phylogenetics with studies of ecological patterns and processes can greatly contribute to this goal. Prior to joining the Weber Lab, I earned my B.A. in biology at Skidmore College. My undergraduate research experiences constitute an eclectic mix, including projects focused on porpoise skull morphology, avian malaria, social wasp-mediated pest control, and ant social immunity. Though my academic interests remain broad and flexible, I am especially fascinated by plant-insect interactions due to their diversity and accessibility as model ecological systems which can be placed in larger evolutionary contexts. |
Carolyn Graham (PhD Student)
Carolyn is interested in the intersection between plant evolution, ecology, and biochemistry. She started her research in the lab as an undergraduate, working with Carina Baskett on latitudinal gradients in plant chemistry. She then did an REUin conjunction with the Brudvig lab focused on understanding the impact of habitat fragmentation and edge effects on plant-mite defense mutualisms. She is now a technician running a project testing for trade-offs in defensive strategies across the wild grape genus, Vitis. |
Erika LaPlante (Masters student)
I am an evolutionary ecologist interested in plant defense interactions and uncovering the genetic mechanisms that underlie mutualistic adaptations. Before joining the Weber lab, I earned my B.S. at the University of Arizona in Soil, Water and Environmental Science. As an Undergraduate Researcher at the University of Arizona and eventually a Research Assistant at the University of California, Berkeley, I studied Drosophila melanogaster to quantify the benefit-to-cost ratio of specific molecular substitutions in Capillary Feeder (CAFE) assay experiments. I also studied Arabidopsis thaliana to identifying plant genes involved in resistance to an herbivorous insect, Scaptomyza flava through performing Scaptomyza flava choice test experiments for host plant preference. Email: laplan23[at]msu.edu |
Michael Foisy (Masters student)
Michael comes to the Weber lab after completing a Master's with Helen Rodd and Luke Mahler. Michael is interested in co-evolution, trait evolution, and comparative methods. He also has a fondness for bees (and more recently, seeds!). |
Caroline Edwards (Lab Technician)
I am interested in evolutionary ecology, population genetics, phylogenetics, and especially plants! I got my B.A. in Biology at Oberlin College, where I did undergraduate research looking at niche evolution of Abronia (Nycctaginaceae) and then spent a season working as a botany technician for the Forest Service in the Sierra Nevadas. |
Your face here??
Interested in joining the lab? Send Marjorie an email at weberm11(at)msu.edu |
Honorary members:
Eloise Wolf (Co-advised with Bradburd Lab)
Lou's research is primarily focused on understanding how to use her hands to put things into her mouth. Recently, she had a major research breakthrough: the discovery of her own feet (work not yet published). She also has a side project investigating a fundamental longstanding question in science: How much drool can one physically produce at one time?
Lou's research is primarily focused on understanding how to use her hands to put things into her mouth. Recently, she had a major research breakthrough: the discovery of her own feet (work not yet published). She also has a side project investigating a fundamental longstanding question in science: How much drool can one physically produce at one time?
Banjo & Cosmo & Mulberry
Love getting scratches on the head and looking deeply into your eyes while they wag their tails. |
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Lab alumni:
Susan Gordon (Lab tech, 2016-2017)
Keegan Mackin (Undergraduate researcher, 2016-2018)
Ellen James (Undergraduate Summer Research Assistant at Kellogg Biological Station, 2018)
Katy Garber (Research assistant, summer 2017)
Abby Sulesky (Undergraduate researcher, 2016-2018)
Lucy Schroeder (Undergraduate researcher, 2016-2018)
Dan Hughes (Lab tech, 2017-2019)
Carina Baskett (PhD Student - Co-advised with Doug Schemske, Graduated 2018)
Riley Scanlon (Undergraduate Artist in Residence 2019- 2020)
Thomas Zambiasi (Undergraduate Researcher 2018-2020)
Aaron Slater (Undergraduate Researcher and Project Biodiversify Intern 2019-2020)
Keegan Mackin (Undergraduate researcher, 2016-2018)
Ellen James (Undergraduate Summer Research Assistant at Kellogg Biological Station, 2018)
Katy Garber (Research assistant, summer 2017)
Abby Sulesky (Undergraduate researcher, 2016-2018)
Lucy Schroeder (Undergraduate researcher, 2016-2018)
Dan Hughes (Lab tech, 2017-2019)
Carina Baskett (PhD Student - Co-advised with Doug Schemske, Graduated 2018)
Riley Scanlon (Undergraduate Artist in Residence 2019- 2020)
Thomas Zambiasi (Undergraduate Researcher 2018-2020)
Aaron Slater (Undergraduate Researcher and Project Biodiversify Intern 2019-2020)
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