Friday, February 3, at 3:30 PM in NSC 234. Join us for refreshments in the NSC lobby at 3:10 PM.

"Increasing Atmospheric CO₂ does more than warm the planet: direct effects on plants, insect herbivores, and their predators"

Dr. Dave Karowe, Department of Biology, Western Michigan University

Due primarily to the burning of fossil fuels, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are increasing rapidly.  This talk will describe how the nutritional quality and chemical defenses of plants respond to elevated CO₂, and how plant responses affect the feeding and growth of insect herbivores, such as caterpillars, and the ability of their natural enemies, including parasitoid wasps, to locate and develop inside caterpillars.