The overarching objective of the research in the department is to manipulate ecological interactions in nature to identify traits that are demonstrably important for an organism’s Darwinian fitness in the complexity of interactions that occur in nature.  We focus on plant-mediated interactions and have developed ecological expression systems with two native plants that have a rich suite of ecological interactions, Wild Tobacco (Nicotiana attenuata) and Black Nightshade (Solanum nigrum), as well as the herbivores that feed on them, the fungi and bacteria that interact with their roots, and their floral visitors. We have developed molecular (transformation systems, VIGs silencing, cDNA and genomic libraries, cDNA and oligo microarrays, real time RT-PCR, microsatellites, SAGE, SSH, DD-RTPCR display ), analytical (high throughput HPLC and UPLC--MS (DAD, ion trap, TOF, triple Quad), GC-MS (quad,ion trap) and GCxGC-TOF, z-Nose) and ecological (field stations in Utah and Jena, insect cultures, and natural history expertise) tools to rigorously manipulate the genetic basis for ecological sophistication in these two plant systems.