Alison E. Bennett,
Ph.D.
Post-doctoral Research Associate
Dr. Richard Lindroth Lab
(Moving to the Scottish Crop Research Institute in January 2010)
Department of Entomology
University of Wisconsin
Madison, WI 53706
bennett@entomology.wisc.edu
Curriculum Vitae
Mutualisms in a Community Context:
Mutualisms have traditionally been studied as an isolated interaction between two organisms: pollinators carry pollen between flowers, cleaner fish reduce parasites on their host, and mycorrhizal fungi increase host plant growth. However, these mutualisms exist within a broader community of interactions: pollinator moths are subject to parasitoids, host fish are subject to predation, and plants associated with mycorrhizal fungi are subject to herbivory. As a result the outcome of the mutualistic interaction is likely to be altered by additional interactions, and the mutualism is likely to alter the outcome of other interactions with mutualistic partners.
My research focuses on how a community context structures the evolution and ecology of mutualisms with particular reference to the oldest (and perhaps most important) mutualism on earth: the interaction between plants and mycorrhizal fungi. The majority of my research is focused on plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, which pull up phosphorous and trace minerals for their hosts in return for carbon.
What are the factors that structure AM fungal communities?
Mutualist-Mutualist Communities
How do plant communities structure the AM fungal community?
How do invasive species alter AM fungal-plant interactions?
How do plant communities influence AM fungal evolution and the maintenance of the mutualism?
How does global change alter the feedbacks between AM fungi and host plants?
Mutualists within the larger Community
How do AM fungi influence plant-herbivore interactions?
How do herbivores influence AM fungi?
Mutualist and Soil Biota contributions to Ecosystems
Peer Reviewed Publications:
Bennett, A.E., J. Alers-Garcia, J.D. Bever. 2006. Effects of mutualistic mycorrhizal fungi on plant enemies: Hypotheses and Predictions. American Naturalist 167(2): 141-152.
PDF
Bennett, A.E. and J.D. Bever. 2007. Mycorrhizal species
differentially alter plant growth and response to herbivory. Ecology
88(1):210-218.
Gehring, C., and A.E. Bennett. 2009. Mycorrhizal fungal-plant-insect interactions: the importance of a community approach. Environmental Entomology 38(1):93-102.
Bennett, A.E. and J.D. Bever. 2009. Effects of herbivory and fungal competition on mycorrhizal colonization in Plantago lanceolata. Oecologia 160(4): 807-816.
Bennett, A.E., J.D. Bever, and M.D. Bowers. 2009. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal species suppress inducible plant responses and alter defensive strategies following herbivory. Oecologia 160(4): 771-779.
Garrido, E., A.E. Bennett, J. Fornoni, and S.Y. Strauss. Published Online (awaiting print). Variation in arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization modifies the expression of tolerance to above-ground defoliation. Journal of Ecology.
Bennett, A.E.
In press, Insect Conservation and Diversity. The role of soil community
biodiversity in maintaining insect biodiversity.