Nutrition is a key factor determining growth and reproduction in all organisms, and is a particularly key aspect of the physiological ecology of insects given their diverse and often highly-specialized ecological niches. One major area of research (in collaboration with the lab of Dr. James Elser) has been the study of the role of phosphate as a potential limiting nutrient in herbivorous insects. We have used both field comparative and lab rearing studies to show that, in at least some insects, phosphate can clearly be an important nutrient limiting insect growth.
Vitamins and other micronutrients are being increasingly recognized as crucial for health in humans, and insects offer valuable models for studies of the biochemistry and nutritional effects of vitamins. We have recently been examining the effect of variation in dietary folic acid levels on growth and reproduction in the fruitfly, Drosophila melanogaster. Folic acid is necessary for many cellular processes including DNA synthesis and methylation.