Role of Fungal Endophytes in Plant Resistance to Insect Herbivores in White Spruce-Eastern Spruce Budworm Systems

I investigated the characterization of the foliar endophytic fungal communities and terpene defenses of different white spruce families. I grew fungal endophytes inside the flask, you can see the mycelium growing inside it.

I was also interested in determining the relationship between the foliar terpenes and fungal endophytes; in particular, whether the foliar endophytic fungal communities can explain the abundance of terpenes in white spruce foliage. Finally, I manipulated the foliar endophytic fungal communities to determine whether changes in foliar endophytes can alter the composition of foliar terpenes.