Entomology Graduate Student: Ezra Schwartzberg

Ezra (Ez) Schwartzberg
Graduate Student

The Pennsylvania State University
118 Chemical Ecology Lab
University Park, PA 16802

Phone: 814-865-3423
Email: egs10@psu.edu

Degree Sought: Ph.D. in Entomology

Link to my website highlighting my SUSPROT exchange experience in England/Holland (10/2006)

My research interests lie in the chemical interactions between plants and insects. I am interested in both the way that plant chemical signals can affect herbivore behavior and the way plant chemical signals can affect the behavior of predators and parasitoids of herbivores. I am currently working within the general system of plant-aphid interactions. Within this broad field I am interested in a few specific areas:

1. Plants affecting herbivore behavior:

Aphids use chemical signals to communicate with each other. They are also capable of detecting the scent of predators and can evaluate predator pressure and adjust production of winged offspring to maximize survival. I am currently looking at the ability of aphids to evaluate plant suitability/aphid load through perception of plant volatiles.

2. Plants affecting predator/parasitoid behavior:

Predators and parasitoids of herbivores locate their prey/hosts by homing in on plant volatiles produced by herbivory. I am examining the role of aphid induced plant volatiles in attracting specialist predators and parasitoids. I am particularly interested in the predator-prey relationships between aphids that are tended by ants and their specialized predators and parasitoids.

3. Aphid-plant vs. caterpillar-plant volatile induction:

Much work has been done to understand the way herbivores induce chemical signaling pathways in plants, though little has focused on volatile chemical signals induced by sucking insect. By directly comparing volatile induction, gene regulation and metabolite production among chewing and sucking insects I hope draw light on the basic similarities and differences. I am interested in how these two insect groups manipulate plants in different ways to achieve the same goals of predator/parasitoid recruitment. I am also interested in seeing how similar patterns and methods of plant volatile induction have developed in these two distantly related insect groups.

Publication List:

Schwartzberg, E. G., G. Kunert, U. S. R. Röse, J. Gershenzon & W. W. Weisser (in press). Alarm pheromone emission by pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum, clones under predation by lacewing larvae. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata.

Schwartzberg, E. G., G. Kunert, C. Stephan, A. David, U. S. R. Röse, J. Gershenzon, W. Boland and W. W. Weisser (2008) Real-time analysis of alarm pheromone emission by the pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum) under predation. Journal of Chemical Ecology (pdf)