This is the Insect-Plant Interaction Lab at the Department of Entomology of National Taiwan University. We are interested in understanding how plants and insect herbivores interact at the physiological and molecular levels and how these interactions influence the ecology and evolution of both plants and insect herbivores. In addition to biotic interactions, it is increasingly recognized that the abiotic factors are important drivers of plant-insect interactions. We, therefore, aim to understand how abiotic factors influence plant-insect interactions. More specifically, how water availability and light - two of the most important factors for plant growth - affect plant-insect interactions. 

Plants and insect herbivores are two of the most diverse groups of organisms on earth and have intrigued biologists for a long time. The study of plant-insect interactions has played a fundamental role in advancing our knowledge in many biological disciplines, including ecology, evolutionary biology, plant biology, chemical biology, and more. Due to the roles plants and insect herbivores play in both natural and agricultural ecosystems, the study of plant-insect interactions has great scientific and applied values. Additionally, climate change has been shown to disturb the interactive dynamics between plants and insect herbivores and significantly influence ecosystems and their associated functions. Therefore, it has become increasingly important for us to understand how plant-insect interactions are affected by these abiotic factors. 

We welcome students and early career scientists interested in plant-insect interactions to contact us for potential opportunities to join our lab : )