
Christopher Knight
Ph.D. Student in Biology, admitted Autumn 2019
All Publications
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COVID-19 reveals vulnerability of small-scale fisheries to global market systems.
The Lancet. Planetary health
2020; 4 (6): e219
View details for DOI 10.1016/S2542-5196(20)30128-5
View details for PubMedID 32559437
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Predation on competing mussel species: Patterns of prey consumption and its potential role in species coexistence
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MARINE BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY
2018; 504: 38–46
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jembe.2018.03.008
View details for Web of Science ID 000432770300005
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Complex Consequences of Herbivory and Interplant Cues in Three Annual Plants
PLOS ONE
2012; 7 (5): e38105
Abstract
Information exchange (or signaling) between plants following herbivore damage has recently been shown to affect plant responses to herbivory in relatively simple natural systems. In a large, manipulative field study using three annual plant species (Achyrachaena mollis, Lupinus nanus, and Sinapis arvensis), we tested whether experimental damage to a neighboring conspecific affected a plant's lifetime fitness and interactions with herbivores. By manipulating relatedness between plants, we assessed whether genetic relatedness of neighboring individuals influenced the outcome of having a damaged neighbor. Additionally, in laboratory feeding assays, we assessed whether damage to a neighboring plant specifically affected palatability to a generalist herbivore and, for S. arvensis, a specialist herbivore. Our study suggested a high level of contingency in the outcomes of plant signaling. For example, in the field, damaging a neighbor resulted in greater herbivory to A. mollis, but only when the damaged neighbor was a close relative. Similarly, in laboratory trials, the palatability of S. arvensis to a generalist herbivore increased after the plant was exposed to a damaged neighbor, while palatability to a specialist herbivore decreased. Across all species, damage to a neighbor resulted in decreased lifetime fitness, but only if neighbors were closely related. These results suggest that the outcomes of plant signaling within multi-species neighborhoods may be far more context-specific than has been previously shown. In particular, our study shows that herbivore interactions and signaling between plants are contingent on the genetic relationship between neighboring plants. Many factors affect the outcomes of plant signaling, and studies that clarify these factors will be necessary in order to assess the role of plant information exchange about herbivory in natural systems.
View details for DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0038105
View details for Web of Science ID 000305338500088
View details for PubMedID 22675439
View details for PubMedCentralID PMC3364994