The Papaj Laboratory studies the reproductive dynamics of insects in the context of coevolved interactions. We are particularly interested in how the flexibility of an animal's behavior or physiology permits it to maintain high performance in variable environments. Plant-herbivore interactions are our primary focus, but plant-pollinator, host-parasite, predator-prey, intrasexual and intersexual interactions are considered as well. Within this broad context, research topics addressed in our laboratory are diverse, as reflected in a list of keywords that describe recent work.

Keywords: learning and host specialization • phenotypic plasticity • host selection behavior • thermal ecology • natal habitat preference induction • visual ecology • signal detection theory • speed-accuracy tradeoffs • ovarian dynamics• costs of plasticity (costs of learning) • mating dynamics • multimodal signaling • chemical ecology • mimicry and warning coloration • coevolution

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