Project Grant 2418252

The Research Foundation for the State University of New York received a $280,113 Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074) to conduct research on how gall-forming insects evade parasitic wasps and how the parasites adapt to target different insect hosts. This large-scale, ecologically focused study will involve examining hundreds of insect species associated with oak trees across the United States, documenting the parasitic wasp species that attack each insect host, and inferring the defensive strategies that allow certain insects to escape parasitism. The research aims to uncover the evolutionary dynamics underlying these galler-parasite interactions and will engage a team of community scientists, train postdoctoral and graduate students, and disseminate findings through public-facing resources. This award reflects the National Science Foundation's mission to advance fundamental biological research with broader societal impacts.