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People
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. I also have a passion for promoting social justice and equity in STEM, and work to understand and implement change through education. Pronouns: she/her/hers Email: weberm11(at)msu.edu Google scholar profile CV |
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 (Lab collaborator - Director of Project Biodiversify )
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. 
Abbey Soule (PhD Student)
Plants and insects make up the vast majority of terrestrial biomass, and therefore understanding the interactions between them are vital to understanding the natural world; it is in these interactions that my research interests lie. I enjoy studying plants and their insect herbivores through the lens of community ecology, addressing research questions regarding environmental change, defensive chemistry, and multi-trophic relationships. I earned my B.S. magna cum laude from the University of Michigan in 2018 for my research on monarch butterfly flight ability in the context of global change, and did three years of post-bacc work at the University of Utah studying the evolution of chemical defense in tropical trees. As a PhD student, I am looking forward to combining my experience with in-depth chemical analysis and love of field work to understand how human-disturbed environments change plant and insect communities. I am also deeply interested in social justice, and hope to establish an outreach / job training program for incarcerated persons in the greater Lansing area, but more on that to come! 
Sylvie Martin-Eberhardt (PhD Student - co-advised with the Gilbert lab)
I am broadly interested in the adaptive significance of plant traits, particularly in the context of plant-insect interactions. I have a special interest in carnivorous plants as systems with uniquely complex insect interactions. Co-advised by Dr. Kadeem Gilbert at Kellogg Biological Station, I am examining anthocyanin (red pigments) in Sarracenia and am curious about the complex benefits that red pigmentation might confer to carnivorous plants, as well as convergence in red pigmented structures across lineages. Prior to joining the Weber lab, I completed my undergraduate in Biology and Linguistics at Indiana University, where I studied honeybee – flower microbiome ecology. I also completed a field program at Notre Dame’s field station (UNDERC) in northern Michigan, where my fascination with carnivorous plant anthocyanin was sparked by a project investigating if red venation on trap leaves guides insects to the trap surface. |
Carolyn Graham (PhD Student)
My academic interests include plant defense evolution, plant-insect interactions, mutualisms, and chemical ecology. I love testing broad evolutionary hypotheses using phylogenetic comparative methods paired with experimental manipulations. I graduated from Michigan State in 2019 with a B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and a minor in the History, Philosophy, and Sociology of Science. I then spent a year as a technician in the Weber Lab, working on a research project about whether indirect and direct defensive traits in the grape genus Vitis trade-off over evolutionary time. As a PhD student, I have continued studying defensive trait evolution in Vitis, expanding my perspective to capture a larger suite of traits that arthropods interact with on a grapevine. In my undergraduate work, I was involved in projects studying how microarthropods and their mutualistic interactions with plants are impacted by habitat fragmentation, and how plant defense investment compares across geographic scales. 
Rosemary Glos (PhD Student)
I am a botanist and evolutionary ecologist with a special interest in the ways that plant morphology and anatomy mediate interactions with other organisms. If a plant has an unusual structure or unexplained shape, I want to know why! I conducted my undergraduate thesis in the Specht Lab at Cornell, analyzing phylogenetic and geographic patterns of leaflet anatomy in the cycad genus Zamia. After undergrad, I stayed on at Cornell and studied the hormonal and anatomical basis for twining movements in woody vines with Dr. Joyce Chery. My second passion is botanical illustration, so I look forward to integrating research and art during my time at MSU. When not conducting research, I can be found gardening, playing roller derby, drawing plants, or using ropes to climb a tree. Your face here??
Interested in joining the lab? Send Marjorie an email at weberm11(at)msu.edu |
Honorary members:
Banjo & Cosmo & Mulberry & Korra
Love getting scratches on the head and looking deeply into your eyes while they wag their tails. |
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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?
Lab alumni:
Caroline Edwards (Lab Tech, 2018-2020)
Erika LaPlante (Graduate Student, 2017-2020)
Michael Foisy (Graduate Student, 2018-2020)
Eric LoPresti (NSF Postdoctoral Fellow, 2017-2020)
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)
Erika LaPlante (Graduate Student, 2017-2020)
Michael Foisy (Graduate Student, 2018-2020)
Eric LoPresti (NSF Postdoctoral Fellow, 2017-2020)
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)
