Patterns and Mechanisms of Changing Plant-Insect Interactions in the anthropocene

My name is Marielle Hansel Friedman, I am a PhD Candidate in the Meineke Lab in the Department of Entomology and Nematology at the University of California, Davis. My research investigates patterns and drivers of plant-insect interactions and associated insect communities on ecologically important species across urban northern California, from native valley oak to invasive yellow starthistle, focusing on artificial light at night (ALAN) as an emerging driver of biodiversity change. Using historical specimens, observational gradients, and manipulative experiments, I aim to reveal how ALAN and other anthropogenic pressures reshape these ecological relationships over time and space.