EcoTalk 10-9-2025 #1 Very Hungry Caterpillars

The Very Hungry Caterpillars: How are our native lepidopterans responding to invasive plant species?

Logan Huber, PhD Student at Wright State University

Invasive plants often disrupt native flora and fauna and are thought to contribute to worldwide insect declines. Because these plants often reach high densities in natural areas, it is vital to understand their interactions with insects, both for insect conservation and for potential invasive plant management. My research asks whether native insect herbivores consume the invasive shrubs Amur honeysuckle and autumn olive, as their typical hosts are displaced by them, and examines the diversity of caterpillar species found on the invasive shrubs compared to native hosts. Is there potential for these insects to provide natural control as they colonize these novel hosts? Or are we doomed to be overrun by the invaders?

Logan Huber is an Environmental Sciences PhD student at Wright State University, having just finished his M.Sc. in biology in 2023. His research focuses on how native herbivores respond and adapt to novel plant hosts, including invasive species. He is broadly interested in plant–insect interactions, invasion ecology, and the evolutionary processes that shape species responses to environmental change.