Laramy Enders

Title:

Associate Professor

PhD Granting Institution:

University of California - Riveside

Contact:

Email Address: lenders@purdue.edu
Office Phone: 765-496-3990
Lab Website Link: https://www.entm.purdue.edu/microbiomelab/

Primary Training Group:

Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases

Secondary Training Groups:

Plant Biology

Research Areas:

microbiome sciences, plant-insect interactions, evolutionary and applied ecology

Current Projects:

The Enders Lab employs a systems-level approach to investigate relationships between insect herbivores, host plants and their microbial partners. Plants and insects harbor diverse microbial communities (i.e. microbiomes) and can engage in microbial partnerships that range from parasitism to mutualism. Microorganisms are not only integrated into the physiological functioning of their plant and insect hosts, but are widely recognized as critical to broader level evolutionary processes and ecosystem health. Current research projects integrate molecular, physiological, and bioinformatics approaches to investigate the processes responsible for shaping insect and plant associated microbial communities within natural and agricultural environments. The goals of Dr. Enders' research program are to: 1) improve our understanding of the ecological factors driving microbiome assembly and 2) apply basic knowledge of plant-insect-microbial dynamics to improve plant health and pest management.

Importance of Interdisciplinary Research:

The Enders Lab is interdisciplinary and research projects range from molecular to population-level, single organism to whole communities, and integrate both lab and field components.