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Ecological genomics of plant/virus/vector interactions
Anna
Whitfield
Arthropod vectors play an essential role in dissemination of viruses; more
than 70% of plant-infecting viruses
are transmitted from one host to another by arthropod vectors. My research
interests include the investigation
of how global climate change impacts virus/vector/plant interactions at the
ecological and molecular levels.
At the ecological level, we are interested in identifying key environmental
factors that influence the
geographical distribution of arthropod vectors and their relationships with
the viruses they transmit.
At the molecular level, we are developing genomics tools that will enable us
to examine the impact of
elevated temperatures on virus infection of vectors and virus transmission
by arthropod vectors.
We
are also interested in understanding the molecular basis of plant host
response to viruses and their
arthropod vectors. Plants are subjected to a dual offensive attack from
viruses that are transmitted by
arthropods, and plants respond to herbivore and pathogen attack via a
multitude of defense mechanisms.
We will explore the transcriptome of plant hosts subjected to single and
dual attacks in order to identify
synergistic or antagonistic interactions among major signaling pathways.
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