My laboratory is studying the physiological ecology of vascular plants with an emphasis on the environmental limitations to photosynthesis and resource allocation. I am particularly interested in developing integrated models of light utilization by plants in different habitats, with an emphasis on woody plants.

Other research projects include investigations of the effects of UV-B irradiation on growth and photosynthesis, and the impact of elevated CO2 on nutrient acquisition of trees. Currently we are using growth analysis, leaf and plant gas exchange, water relations, tissue chemistry, carbon isotope discrimination, and foliar optical properties, among other methods, in these studies. Research sites include grasslands, old fields, and deciduous forests in Illinois; subalpine and alpine habitats in Wyoming; and shrub steppe in Nevada.

Representative Publications

Zavala JA, Casteel CL, Nabity PD, Berenbaum MR, DeLucia EH (2009) Role of cysteine proteinase inhibitors in preference of Japanese beetles (Popillia japonica) for soybean (Glycine max) leaves of different ages and grown under elevated CO2. Oecologia, Volume 161:35-41

Anderson-Teixeira KJ, Davis SC, Masters MD, DeLucia EH (2009) Changes in soil organic carbon under biofuel crops. GCB Bioenergy, Volume 1:75-96 doi: 10.1111/j.1757-1707.2008.01001.x

Bilgin D, DeLucia EH, Clough SJ (2009) A robust plant RNA isolation method suitable for Affymetrix GeneChip analysis and quantitative real-time RT-PCR. Nature Protocols, Volume 4, no. 3: 333-340

Nabity, PD, Zavala, JA, and DeLucia EH (2009) Indirect Suppression of Photosynthesis on Individual Leaves by Arthropod Herbivory. Annals of Botany, Volume 103:655-663(DOI 10.1093/aob/mcn127)

Moore DJP, Gonzalez-Meler MA, Taneva L, Pippen JS, Kim HS, DeLucia EH (2008) The effect of carbon dioxide enrichment on apparent stem respiration from Pinus taeda L. is confounded by high levels of soil carbon dioxide. Oecologia Volume 158:1-10 (DOI 10.1007/s00442-008-1118-7)

Davis S, Anderson-Teixeira KJ, and DeLucia EH (2008) LIfe-Cycle analysis and the ecology of biofuels. Trends in Plant Science, Volume 14, No. 3:140-146

Drake J, Stoy P, Jackson RB, and DeLucia EH (2008) Fine-root respiration in a loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) forest exposed to elevated CO2 and N fertilization. Plant, Cell and Environment, Volume 31, 1663-1672

Bilgin D, Aldea M, O'Neill B, Benitez M, Li M, Clough S, and DeLucia EH (2008) Elevated Ozone Alters Soybean-Virus Interaction. MPMI, Volume 21(10): 1297-1308

Dermody, O, O'Neill, B, Zangerl, A, Berenbaum, M, DeLucia, EH (2008) Effects of elevated CO2 abd O3 on leaf damage and insect abundance in a soybean agroecosystem. Arthropod-Plant Interactions, Volume 2:125-135 (DOI 10.1007/s11829-008-9045-4)

O'Neill B, Zangerl, A, DeLucia, E, and Berenbaum, MR (2008) Longevity and Fecundity of Japanese Beetle (Popilla japonica) on Foliage Grown Under Elevated Carbon Dioxide. Environmental Entomology, Volume 37(2): 601-607