Mia Howard

Biography

I received my bachelors in Biological Sciences from Wellesley College where I worked in Dr. Martina Königer's lab. After graduation, I continued to develop my love of plants working with Dr. Kristina Jones at the Wellesley College Botanic garden. I earned my PhD from Cornell University in Dr. André Kessler's lab. Before coming to the University of Michigan, I conducted postdoctoral research with Dr. Jen Lau at Indiana University.

Research Area(s)

• Plant defense
• Herbivory
• Mutualism
• Plant-microbe interactions

Research Interests

Unlike most animals, plants can’t run from the creatures that eat them. However, they are masterful chemists and can defend themselves with potent toxins. I study how plants protect their tissues from herbivores and how soil-dwelling microbes can support (or thwart) their efforts. My current research explores the ecology and evolution of these plant-herbivore-microbe relationships using the common white clover as a focal system. Clovers and other legumes form resource mutualisms with nitrogen-fixing bacteria (rhizobia), which are an important part of global nutrient cycles. White clovers are also polymorphic for cyanogenesis (the production of a nitrogen-containing defense compound), a trait that could be enhanced through efficient partnerships with nitrogen-fixing symbionts. My current research examines how these nitrogen-fixers affect the evolution of cyanide production in clovers, and conversely, how cyanide production affects the evolution of mutualism.

Fields of Study

• Community ecology
• Evolutionary ecology
• Chemical ecology