Welcome to the lab website!  Our research is focused on plant evolutionary genetics and ecology.  Ongoing research in the lab includes the study of plant-herbivore interactions and the evolutionary genetics and ecology of plant defense traits, as well as plant responses to climate change.  We use multiple study species including Mimulus guttatus, Mimulus verbenaceus, and Populus species to answer questions such as: How have differential natural selection pressures across populations shaped the evolution of quantitative traits?  What is the genetic architecture of physical and phytochemical defense traits, and how might it contribute to defense-life history trade-offs?  What is the ecological relationship between defense traits and herbivores?