Malia Fincher Homepage

Chemical Ecology
Plant-Insect Interactions
Plant Physoilogy

I am currently investigating the relationsips between environmental variables (such as soil moisture, soil nutrient availability, and light availability), plant chemical defense, plant physiological performance, and insect herbivore fitness. I am using the tropical understory shrub Piper imperiale as a model system in field, laboratory, greenhouse, and shadehouse experiments. This species produces variable amounts of nitrogenous secondary metabolites known as amides, which are characteristic of plants in the genus Piper. These compounds deter feeding by leaf-cutter ants and increased concentrations of these amides is correlated with decreased herbivory in a natural setting. My field and greenhouse work takes place at La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica, which is operated by the Organization for Tropical Studies. Current projects, at various stages of completion, include:

Field surveys and laboratory analysis to compare the effectiveness of defenses including ant mutualism, toughness, and secondary metabolites in three Piper species.
Feeding experiments in order to determine the effects of natural variation in P. imperiale secondary metabolite concentration on different taxa of specialist and generalist herbivores.
Field experiments to investigate the relative importance of genetic and environmental sources of variation in secondary metabolite content in P. imperiale.
Meta analysis of the literature on the relative importance of genetic and environmental sources of variation in plant secondary metabolite content.
Greenhouse experiments examining the relationship between soil nutrient availability, plant chemical defense, and plant physiology. Thse experiments should allow us to quantify the cost of secondary metabolite production.
New! Several collaborators and I have a new Earthwatch Institute project at the Southwest Research Station in Artizona, examining the relationships between host plants, caterpillars, and parasitoids.

R. Malia Fincher Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Tulane University rfincher@tulane.edu	Working in the field at La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica	Eyelash viper Astraptes fulgerator
My CV Publications
Research Interests: Chemical Ecology Plant-Insect Interactions Plant Physoilogy I am currently investigating the relationsips between environmental variables (such as soil moisture, soil nutrient availability, and light availability), plant chemical defense, plant physiological performance, and insect herbivore fitness. I am using the tropical understory shrub Piper imperiale as a model system in field, laboratory, greenhouse, and shadehouse experiments. This species produces variable amounts of nitrogenous secondary metabolites known as amides, which are characteristic of plants in the genus Piper. These compounds deter feeding by leaf-cutter ants and increased concentrations of these amides is correlated with decreased herbivory in a natural setting. My field and greenhouse work takes place at La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica, which is operated by the Organization for Tropical Studies. Current projects, at various stages of completion, include: Field surveys and laboratory analysis to compare the effectiveness of defenses including ant mutualism, toughness, and secondary metabolites in three Piper species. Feeding experiments in order to determine the effects of natural variation in P. imperiale secondary metabolite concentration on different taxa of specialist and generalist herbivores. Field experiments to investigate the relative importance of genetic and environmental sources of variation in secondary metabolite content in P. imperiale. Meta analysis of the literature on the relative importance of genetic and environmental sources of variation in plant secondary metabolite content. Greenhouse experiments examining the relationship between soil nutrient availability, plant chemical defense, and plant physiology. Thse experiments should allow us to quantify the cost of secondary metabolite production. New! Several collaborators and I have a new Earthwatch Institute project at the Southwest Research Station in Artizona, examining the relationships between host plants, caterpillars, and parasitoids.
Earthwatch Institute volunteers collecting caterpillars Map of La Selva Biological Station
Piper imperiale plants in an experiment in the shadehouse	Hyla rufitela
Some Personal Photos:
My dog Zoot. He's a greyhound and he's fantastic. Adopt one! Better yet, adopt two!
R. Malia Fincher Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 310 Dinwiddie Hall Tulane University New Orleans LA 70118 rfincher@tulane.edu