Current Research

Our research investigates insect-plant interactions in agro-ecosystems, and in particular how interactions with other organisms in the ecosystem shape insect herbivore behaviour and dynamics. Our goal is to identify key mechanisms that underpin such interactions in order that they may be exploited to maintain sustainable production systems in a changing climate.

This research focuses on multi-trophic interactions, especially those incorporating below ground insect herbivores. I am particularly interested in the chemical ecology underpinning such interactions and the development of novel techniques for investigating insect–root interactions below ground such as x-ray tomography. Recent research includes:

• plant-mediated interactions between insects, microbes and higher trophic groups 
• investigating how chemical mechanisms influence plant susceptibility to insect attack
• the impacts of climate change on above ground-below ground interactions.
  

The current research team comprises:

• PhD students: Katy Clark, Lindsay McMenemy and Andrew Burgess
• Postdocotoral Researcher: Dr Carolyn Mitchell
• Technical support: Sheena Lamond

Research History

• 2007-to date - Senior Research Scientist, SCRI
• 2005-2007    - Postdoctoral Research Scientist, SCRI
• 2002-2005    - Research Fellow and Project Coordinator. Department of Soil Science, University of Reading.
• 1998-2001    - DPhil Department of Biology, University of York, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology – Indirect impacts on a phytophagous insect of birch: the role of fungal phytopathogens and leaf-mining insects (4.4 MB).
• BSc (Hons) - Ecology (First Class), School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee.

External Duties

• Vice President of the Royal Entomological Society
• Honorary Lecturer, University of Dundee
• Editorial Board Member of Agricultural and Forest Entomology
• Council Member of the European Congresses of Entomology

Recent Publications

Root Feeders - an ecosystem perspective (2008)

Scott N. Johnson and Philip J. Murray, CABI, UK

• Johnson, S.N., Barton, A.T., Clark, K.E., Gregory, P.J., McMenemy, L.S. and Hancock, R.D. 2010. Elevated atmospheric CO₂ impairs the performance of root-feeding vine weevils by modifying root growth and secondary metabolites. Global Change Biology (in press).
• Martin, P. and Johnson, S.N. 2010. Evidence that elevated CO₂ reduces resistance to the European large raspberry aphid in some raspberry cultivars. Journal of Applied Entomology (in press).
• Johnson, S.N. Petitjean, S., Clark, K.E., Mitchell, C. 2010. Protected raspberry production accelerates onset of oviposition by vine weevils (Otiorhynchus sulcatus). Agricultural & Forest Entomology (in press).
• Johnson, S.N. McNicol, J.W. 2010. Elevated CO₂ and aboveground-belowground herbivory by the clover root weevil. Oecologia 162, 209-216.
• Mitchell, C., Johnson S.N. Gordon, S.C., Birch, A.N.E. and Hubbard, S.F. 2010. Combining plant resistance and a natural enemy to control Amphorophora idaei. BioControl 55, 321-327.
• Johnson, S.N., Hallett, P.D., Gillespie, T.L., & Halpin, C. 2010. Belowground herbivory and root toughness: a potential model system using lignin-modified tobacco. Physiological Entomology 35, 186-191.
• Johnson, S.N. Gregory, P.J., McNicol, J.W., Oodally, Y., Zhang, X., Murray, P.J. 2010. Effects of soil conditions and drought on egg hatching and larval survival of the clover root weevil (Sitona lepidus). Applied Soil Ecology 44, 75-79.
• Johnson, S.N., Hawes, C., Karley, A.J. 2009. Reappraising the role of plant nutrients as mediators of interactions between root- and foliar-feeding insects. Functional Ecology 23, 699-706.
• Gregory, P.J., Johnson, S.N., Newton, A.C., Ingram, J.S.I. 2009. Integrating pests and pathogens into the climate change/food security debate. Journal of Experimental Botany 60, 2827-2838.
• McMenemy, L.S., Mitchell, C., Johnson, S.N. 2008. Biology of the European large raspberry aphid (Amphorophora idaei): its role in virus transmission and resistance breakdown in red raspberry. Agricultural and Forest Entomology 11, 61-71.
• Johnson, S.N., Bezemer, T.M., Jones, T.H. 2008. Linking aboveground and belowground herbivory. In: Johnson, S.N., Murray, P.J. (eds), Root Feeders - an ecosystem perspective. CABI, Wallingford, UK, pp 153–170.
• Johnson, S.N., Anderson, A., Dawson, G., Griffiths, D.W. 2008. Varietal susceptibility of potatoes to wireworm herbivory. Agricultural and Forest Entomology 10, 167–174
• Mankin, R.W., Johnson, S.N., Grinev, D.V., Gregory, P.J. 2008. New experimental techniques for studying root herbivory. In: Johnson, S.N., Murray, P.J. (eds), Root Feeders - and ecosystem perspective. CABI, Wallingford, UK, pp 20–32.
• Staley, J.T., Johnson, S.N. 2008. Climate change impacts on root herbivores. In: Johnson, S.N., Murray, P.J. (eds), Root Feeders - an ecosystem perspective. CABI, Wallingford, UK, pp 192–213.
• Johnson, S.N., Zhang X., Crawford, J.W., Gregory, P.J., and Young, I.M. 2007. Egg hatching and survival time of soil-dwelling insect larvae: a partial differential equation model and experimental validation. Ecological Modelling 202, 493-502.
• Zhang, X., Johnson, S.N., Crawford, J.W., Gregory, P.J. and Young, I.M. 2007. A general random walk model for the leptokurtic distribution of organism movement: theory and application. Ecological Modelling 200, 79-88.
• Johnson, S.N., Crawford, J.W., Gregory, P.J., Grinev, D.V., Mankin, R.W., Masters, G.J., Murray, P.J., Wall, D.H. Zhang, X. 2007. Non-invasive techniques for investigating and modeling root-feeding insects in managed and natural systems. Agricultural and Forest Entomology 9, 39-46.
• Johnson, S.N., Zhang, X., Crawford, J.W., Gregory, P.J., Hix, N.J., Jarvis, S.C. Murray, P.J. and Young, I.M. 2006. Effects of CO₂ on the searching behaviour of the root-feeding clover weevil. Bulletin of Entomological Research 96, 361-366.
• Johnson, S.N., Birch, A.N.E., Gregory, P.J. and Murray, P.J. 2006. The 'mother knows best' principle: should soil insects be included in the preference-performance debate? Ecological Entomology 31, 395-401.
• Johnson, S.N. and Gregory, P.J. 2006. Chemically-mediated host-plant location and selection by root-feeding insects. Physiological Entomology 31, 1-13.
• Johnson, S.N., Gregory, P.J., Greenham, J.R., Zhang, X. and Murray, P.J. 2005. Attractive properties of an isoflavonoid found in white clover root nodules on the clover root weevil. Journal of Chemical Ecology 31, 2223-2229.
• Johnson, S.N., Gregory, P.J., Murray, P.J., Zhang, X. and Murray, P.J. 2004. Host plant recognition by the root-feeding clover weevil, Sitona lepidus. Bulletin of Entomological Research 94, 433-439.
• Johnson, S.N., Read, D.B., and Gregory, P.J. 2004. Tracking larval insect movement within soil using high resolution X-ray microtomography. Ecological Entomology 29, 117-122.
• Johnson, S.N., Elston, D.A., and Hartley, S.E. 2003. Influence of heterogeneity in host plant quality for a birch aphid. Ecological Entomology 28, 533-541.
• Johnson, S.N., Douglas, A.E., Woodward, S., and Hartley, S.E. 2003. Microbial impacts on plant–herbivore interactions: the indirect effects of a birch pathogen on a birch aphid. Oecologia 134, 381-387.
• Johnson, S.N., Mayhew, P.J., Douglas, A.E., and Hartley, S.E. 2002. Insects as leaf engineers can leaf-miners alter leaf structure for birch aphids? Functional Ecology 16, 575-584.

Posters

(View all posters)

Attachment	Size
Mitigating and adapting to climate change: Research at SCRI for northern Britain	560.65 KB
Quantification of root-soil and root-insect interactions using X-ray microtomography	339.47 KB
Impacts of climate change on an insect herbivore with an aboveground-belowground lifecycle	569.22 KB
How soil properties affect egg development and larval longevity of a grassland insect pest - an empirically based model	263.39 KB
Wireworms on wacky-backy: how the biomechanics of lignin modified tobacco roots influences root herbivory	283.55 KB
What role does CO2 play in root location by a soil insect?	307.9 KB
Adaptation of cropping systems in northern latitudes to environmental change: consequences for food security	1.67 MB
Oviposition preference by the vine weevil (Otiorhynchus sulcatus) in relation to red raspberry (Rubus spp.) cultivars	797.06 KB
Co-operation between plant enemies - do raspberry viruses attract more aphid vectors?	241.13 KB
Protected cropping in raspberry accelerates onset of oviposition by vine weevils	170.94 KB
Disentangling above and belowground insect herbivore interactions: a meta-analysis approach	503.16 KB
Will climate change accelerate the breakdown of aphid-resistance in raspberry?	512.11 KB
Plant mediated interactions with the large raspberry aphid	1.08 MB
Combining biological control and plant resistance to control the large raspberry aphid	1.77 MB