Birte Peters (Salzburg University)
The Spanish slug, Arion vulgaris, is feeding on sterile lettuce leaves inoculated with several bacterial strains. Photo: Birte Peters
Birte Peters's Master thesis was awarded with the Prize for the Best Plant Science Master Thesis, which was carried out at Salzburg University in the year 2017.
Title of awarded thesis
"Epiphytic bacteria on lettuce affect the feeding behavior of an invasive pest slug"
This study showed for the first time that lettuce leave surface associated bacteria can directly affect the feeding behavior of a generalist herbivore.