Evolutionary Ecology - EE
MITE2: Multidisciplinary Investigation Targeting Ecology and Evolution
Adaptation to Complex Environments

Mariya Kozak

PhD Student

Plant-herbivore interactions Plant defences Microbiota

Mariya Kozak is conducting a Ph.D. in BIODIV programme by the University of Sciences (FCUL) starting in 2022 within the Evolutionary Ecology group of cE3c. She is conducting the project "The interplay between spider mites, the microbiota and plant defeces", under the supervision of Dr. Inês Fragata, Dr. Leonor Rodrigues and Prof. Dr. Sara Magalhães from cE3c. The project aims are: (1) To test whether defence suppression in spider mites entails physiological and/or ecological costs, (2) To characterize the microbiota of spider mites and test its role on the suppression of plant defences and (3) To determine how the level of host plant defences affects the evolution of the microbiota of spider mites..