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Communal web of the fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea). This caterpillar is extremely polyphagous, conspicuous, and sometimes pestiferous, yet the evolutionary ecology of its interactions with host plants is poorly known. Left photo taken in AZ by Michael S. Singer. Right photo taken in CT by Peri Mason.
Studies of ecology and evolution in nature frequently show geographic variation in the dynamics and outcomes of species interactions. If such geographic variation is caused by or contributes to genetic variation among populations, it may foster evolutionary diversification. Yet another possible source of geographic variation is phenotypic plasticity. In collaboration with Dr. John Lill (George Washington University), Dr. John Stireman (Wright State University), and Dr. Bob Marquis (University of Missouri-St. Louis), my lab has begun to study these factors in the evolutionary ecology of geographic variation in host-plant use by the fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea, Arctiidae). This polyphagous woolly bear caterpillar is social, forming colonial webs on dozens of woody plant species throughout North America. Herbivore populations differ geographically in the range of hosts used and the frequency in which particular hosts are used. We are investigating the determinants of variation in host range and host use frequency among various populations in the eastern United States.