** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** INVASIVE PLANTS POSE AN UNPRECEDENTED THREAT TO THE ECOLOGICAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND ECONOMIC WELL-BEING OF NATURAL LANDS AND AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS GLOBALLY. THE MANAGEMENT OF INVASIVE PLANTS IS DIVIDED BROADLY INTO BIOLOGICAL, CHEMICAL, AND MECHANICAL CONTROL TECHNIQUES AND SUCCESSFUL STRATEGIES TYPICALLY COMBINE SEVERAL OF THESE METHODS. OF PARTICULAR INTEREST ARE BIOLOGICAL CONTROL AGENTS (ALSO KNOWN AS BIOCONTROLS), WHICH ARE THE TARGETED INTRODUCTION OF NATURAL ENEMIES OF INVASIVE SPECIES WITH THE INTENTION OF REDUCING OR ELIMINATING POPULATIONS THROUGH, FOR EXAMPLE, HERBIVORY. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF BIOCONTROL AGENTS, HOWEVER, REMAINS A SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGE AND VERY LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE MOLECULAR BASIS FOR THE INTERACTION BETWEEN INSECT HERBIVORES AND PLANTS, THE APPLICATION OF GENOMIC TECHNIQUES CAN BE USED TO IMPROVE THE SUITABILITY OF BIOCONTROL AGENTS TO THEIR INTENDED TARGETS.THE INVASIVE FERN LYGODIUM MICROPHYLLUM POSES SIGNIFICANT THREATS TO VULNERABLE AND NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS AND AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS INCLUDING PINE LOGGING ACTIVITIES AND RANCHLANDS. DESPITE THE APPLICATION OF CHEMICAL, MECHANICAL, AND BIOCONTROL METHODS, CURRENT PROCEDURES ARE INSUFFICIENT FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF L. MICROPHYLLUM. TWO BIOCONTROL AGENTS ARE CURRENTLY EMPLOYED TO MANAGEL. MICROPHYLLUM, THOUGH SOME POPULATIONS ARE RESISTANT TO THEIR IMPACTS WHILE OTHERS ARE HIGHLY SUSCEPTIBLE.WE WILL SEQUENCE AND COMPARE THE GENOMES OF RESISTANT AND SUSCEPTIBLE VARIETIES OF L. MICROPHYLLUM TO DETERMINE WHICH PARTS OF THE GENOME MAY BE INVOLVED IN THE HERBIVORE RESISTANCE. THROUGH EXPERIMENTS, WE WILL ALSO DETERMINE HOW AND WHEN DIFFERENT GENES ARE EXPRESSED RELATIVE TO THE PRESENCE OF THE BIOCONTROL AND HOW THE BIOCONTROL IMPACTS THE HEALTH OF THE PLANT. THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW GENOMIC RESOURCES, WE WILL EXAMINE HOW TO IMPROVE BIOCONTROL EFFICACY. THE RESULTS OF THIS RESEARCH WILL PROVIDE A VALUABLE FOUNDATION FOR ENHANCING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF PLANT-INSECT INTERACTIONS AND HOW TO IMPROVE THE SUITABILITY OF BIOCONTROL AGENTS ON INVASIVE PLANTS FOR THE PURPOSE OF MANAGEMENT.