Research

In natural ecosystems, plants are constantly challenged by a diverse range of pathogens from multiple kingdoms of life, including fungi, oomycetes, bacteria, viruses, and nematodes. To survive in these complex environments, plants rely on an innate immune system that operates at the level of every cell, enabling rapid recognition of invading organisms and activation of defense responses. Extensive research, primarily in herbaceous annual model plants, has revealed how plants activate defense responses through the recognition of pathogens by extracellular and intracellular immune receptors. In response, successful pathogens have evolved sophisticated mechanisms to evade or suppress host immunity, often through the secretion of specialized effector proteins and other virulence factors.

Small molecules play a central role in plant immunity. Some of these compounds, such as phytohormones and other signaling molecules, are conserved across the plant kingdom, while others are specialized metabolites produced by particular plant taxa. Despite their ecological importance, our understanding of plant chemical defenses, especially in long-lived woody plants, remains very limited. Moreover, the molecular mechanisms by which virulent pathogens overcome or manipulate host chemical defenses are still poorly understood.

The Forest Phytopathobiomes Lab conducts research to understand how chemical interactions shape tree–microbe relationships in forest ecosystems. Our research focuses on understanding the biosynthesis, regulation (hormonal and transcriptional), biological activity, and modes of action of diverse classes of plant metabolites in woody plant species (for example, poplar trees). By integrating molecular biology, metabolomics, and microbiological approaches, we investigate how tree-derived metabolites influence complex pathobiomes—the dynamic communities of beneficial and pathogenic microorganisms associated with plants—and how these interactions determine disease outcomes. The long-term goal of our research is to address fundamental questions in plant biology and tree immunity against pathogens while contributing to sustainable forest management in the context of global environmental change.