![Islam Sobhy](https://profiles-cardiff.imgix.net/attachments/1224?w=200&h=200&auto=format&crop=faces&fit=crop&q=90")
Dr Islam Sobhy
(he/him)
Lecturer in Plant Ecology
School of Biosciences
- SobhyI@cardiff.ac.uk
- Sir Martin Evans Building, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3AX
- Available for postgraduate supervision
Overview
- I am a Lecturer in Plant Ecology, teaching the school’s undergraduate and postgraduate ecology and plant science courses.
- My main research interests are in the field of applied plant biology, plant-microbe-insect interactions, chemical ecology, and crop protection. I focus on the defensive functions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), investigating their role as vital infochemicals in plant interactions.
- Through an interdisciplinary approach encompassing analytical chemistry, entomology, microbiology, behavioral ecology and more, I characterize the VOC profiles in crop plants and microbes, uncovering factors that influence their emission.
- My lab strives to comprehend plant-microbe-insect interactions to develop ecologically friendly tactics for crop protection, addressing global food security.
- As an Associate Editor and a Reviewer for several top-notch journals as well as being a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society, my expertise extends beyond academics.
- My publications and verified record of journal reviews can be found ResearchGate, Google Scholar, Publons and ORCID. To know more on my research updates, please follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Roles
- Module Leader - BI2136 Ecology B
- Module Leader - BIT055 Field Research and Placement
- Deputy Module Leader - BI2135 Ecology A
Publication
2024
- Sobhy, I. S. and Berry, C. 2024. The chemical ecology of nectar-mosquito interactions: recent advances and future directions. Current Opinion in Insect Science 63, article number: 101199. (10.1016/j.cois.2024.101199)
- Ermio, J. D. L. et al. 2024. The indirect effect of nectar-inhabiting yeasts on olfactory responses and longevity of two stink bug egg parasitoids. BioControl (10.1007/s10526-023-10237-y)
2023
- Osinde, C. et al. 2023. Comparative analysis of sorghum (C4) and rice (C3) plant headspace volatiles induced by artificial herbivory. Plant Signaling & Behavior 18(1), article number: 2243064. (10.1080/15592324.2023.2243064)
- Osinde, C., Sakamoto, W., Kajiya-Kanegae, H., Sobhy, I. S., Tugume, A. K., Nsubuga, A. M. and Galis, I. 2023. Identification of quantitative trait loci associated with sorghum susceptibility to Asian stem borer damage. Journal of Plant Interactions 18(1), article number: 2153182. (10.1080/17429145.2022.2153182)
2022
- Ali, J., Sobhy, I. S. and Bruce, T. J. A. 2022. Wild potato ancestors as potential sources of resistance to the aphid Myzus persicae. Pest Management Science 78(9), pp. 3931-3938. (10.1002/ps.6957)
- Agarwala, N. et al. 2022. Impact of endophytic colonization by entomopathogenic fungi on the behavior and life history of the tobacco peach aphid Myzus persicae var. nicotianae. PLoS ONE 17(9), article number: e0273791. (10.1371/journal.pone.0273791)
- Sobhy, I. S., Lou, Y. and Bruce, T. J. A. 2022. Editorial: Inducing plant resistance against insects using exogenous bioactive chemicals: Key advances and future perspectives. Frontiers in Plant Science 13, article number: 890884. (10.3389/fpls.2022.890884)
- Sobhy, I. S. et al. 2022. Bioactive volatiles from push-pull companion crops repel fall armyworm and attract its parasitoids. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 10, article number: 883020. (10.3389/fevo.2022.883020)
2021
- Ali, J., Covaci, A. D., Roberts, J. M., Sobhy, I. S., Kirk, W. D. J. and Bruce, T. J. A. 2021. Effects of cis-jasmone treatment of brassicas on interactions with myzus persicae aphids and their parasitoid diaeretiella rapae. Frontiers in Plant Science 12, article number: 7. (10.3389/fpls.2021.711896)
- Mujiono, K., Tohi, T., Sobhy, I. S., Hojo, Y., Shinya, T. and Galis, I. 2021. Herbivore-induced and constitutive volatiles are controlled by different oxylipin-dependent mechanisms in rice. Plant, Cell and Environment 44(8), pp. 2687-2699. (10.1111/pce.14126)
- Sobhy, I. S. and Bruce, T. J. 2021. Evolutionary ecology: Plant volatile profile changes after escaping specialist insects. Current Biology 31(15), pp. PR969-R971. (10.1016/j.cub.2021.06.043)
- Goelen, T. et al. 2021. Identification and application of bacterial volatiles to attract a generalist aphid parasitoid: from laboratory to greenhouse assays. Pest Management Science 77(2), pp. 930-938. (10.1002/ps.6102)
- Chiriboga Morales, X., Tamiru, A., Sobhy, I. S., Bruce, T. J. A., Midega, C. A. O. and Khan, Z. 2021. Evaluation of African maize cultivars for resistance to fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) larvae. Plants 10(2), article number: 392. (10.3390/plants10020392)
2020
- Mujiono, K., Tohi, T., Sobhy, I. S., Hojo, Y., Ho, N. T., Shinya, T. and Galis, I. 2020. Ethylene functions as a suppressor of volatile production in rice. Journal of Experimental Botany 71(20), pp. 6491-6511. (10.1093/jxb/eraa341)
- Goelen, T. et al. 2020. Bacterial phylogeny predicts volatile organic compound composition and olfactory response of an aphid parasitoid. Oikos 129(9), pp. 1415-1428. (10.1111/oik.07301)
- Meza, F. C., Roberts, J. M., Sobhy, I. S., Okumu, F. O., Tripet, F. and Bruce, T. J. A. 2020. Behavioural and electrophysiological responses of female Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes to volatiles from a mango bait. Journal of Chemical Ecology 46(4), pp. 387-396. (10.1007/s10886-020-01172-8)
- Goelen, T. et al. 2020. Volatiles of bacteria associated with parasitoid habitats elicit distinct olfactory responses in an aphid parasitoid and its hyperparasitoid. Functional Ecology 34(2), pp. 507-520. (10.1111/1365-2435.13503)
- Sobhy, I. S., Caulfield, J. C., Pickett, J. A. and Birkett, M. A. 2020. Sensing the danger signals: cis-Jasmone reduces aphid performance on potato and modulates the magnitude of released volatiles. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 7, article number: 499. (10.3389/fevo.2019.00499)
2019
- Sobhy, I. 2019. Exploiting phytochemicals for developing a new phase of ‘push–pull’ strategy for tackling the devastating fall armyworm. Presented at: Association of Applied Biologist (AAB) IPM Meeting “Advances in Biological Control and IPM 2019: Addressing the innovation crisis, 20 November 2019 Presented at Sobhy, I. ed.
- Meza, F. C., Roberts, J. M., Sobhy, I. S., Moore, S. J., Okumu, F. O., Bruce, T. J. A. and Tripet, F. 2019. Identifying and testing the attractiveness of volatile chemical compounds from mango juice that attract malaria vectors in toxic sugar bait. Presented at: ASTMH 2019: Annual Meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 20-24 November 2019.
- Sobhy, I. S., Goelen, T., Herrera-Malaver, B., Verstrepen, K. J., Wackers, F., Jacquemyn, H. and Lievens, B. 2019. Associative learning and memory retention of nectar yeast volatiles in a generalist parasitoid. Animal Behaviour 153, pp. 137-146. (10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.05.006)
2018
- Bosmans, L. et al. 2018. Habitat-specific variation in gut microbial communities and pathogen prevalence in bumblebee queens (Bombus terrestris). PLoS ONE 13(10), article number: e0204612. (10.1371/journal.pone.0204612)
- Sobhy, I. et al. 2018. Sweet scents: Nectar specialist yeasts enhance nectar attraction of a generalist aphid parasitoid without affecting survival. Frontiers in Plant Science 9, article number: 1009. (10.3389/FPLS.2018.01009)
- Sobhy, S. I., Turlings, T. C. J. and Bruce, T. J. A. 2018. Priming of cowpea volatile emissions with defense inducers enhances the plant's attractiveness to parasitoids when attacked by caterpillars. Pest Management Science 74(4), pp. 966-977. (10.1002/PS.4796)
- Sobhy, I. and Lievens, B. 2018. Optimizing crops for biological control as a sustainable strategy of crop protection. Presented at: The International Days (International=digital?), 12-16 March 2018.
2017
- Sobhy, I. et al. 2017. Floral nectar yeasts enhance parasitoid foraging and maintenance. Presented at: Ecology Across Borders: Joint Annual Meeting 2017, 11-14 December 2017.
- Sobhy, I., Miyake, A., Shinya, T. and Galis, I. 2017. Oral secretions affect HIPVs iInduced by Generalist (Mythimna loreyi) and Specialist (Parnara guttata) herbivores in rice. Journal of Chemical Ecology 43, pp. 929-943. (10.1007/S10886-017-0882-4)
- Galis, I. et al. 2017. Omics everywhere: How about in chemical ecology?. Presented at: 33rd Conference for the International Society of Chemical Ecology (ISCE), 23-27 August 2017.
2016
- Galis, I., Sobhy, I., Miyake, A., Tanabe, K., Hojo, Y., Wari, D. and Shinya, T. 2016. Direct and indirect defense mechanism reveal complex protective shield against insect herbivores in rice. Presented at: The 11th JKUAT Scientific, Technological and Industrialization Conference, 10-11 November 2016.
2015
- Sobhy, I., Miyake, A. and Galis, I. 2015. The diurnal emission pattern of constitutive and induced rice volatiles. Presented at: ISCE 2015: 31st Conference of the International Society of Chemical Ecology, 29 June - 3 July 2015.
- Sobhy, I., Erb, M. and Turlings, T. 2015. Plant strengtheners enhance parasitoid attraction to herbivore-damaged cotton via qualitative and quantitative changes in induced volatiles. Pest Management Science 71(5), pp. 686-693. (10.1002/ps.3821)
- Sobhy, I. S., Mandour, N. S. and Sarhan, A. A. 2015. Tomato treatment with chemical inducers reduces the performance of Spodoptera littoralis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Applied Entomology and Zoology 50(2), pp. 175-182. (10.1007/s13355-014-0319-2)
- No authors listed, . 2015. Characterization of herbivore-induced rice volatiles under real and mimic herbivory. Presented at: 56th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists (JSPP), 16-18 March 2015 Presented at Sobhy, I. ed.
2014
- Sobhy, I., Abdul-Hamid, A., Sarhan, A., Shoukry, A., Mandour, N. and Reitz, S. 2014. Life history traits of Blaptostethus pallescens (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae), a candidate for use in augmentative biological control in Egypt. Applied Entomology and Zoology 49(2), pp. 315-324. (10.1007/s13355-014-0252-4)
- Sobhy, I. S., Erb, M., Lou, Y. and Turlings, T. C. J. 2014. The prospect of applying chemical elicitors and plant strengtheners to enhance the biological control of crop pests. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 369(1639), article number: 20120283. (10.1098/rstb.2012.0283)
2013
- Sobhy, I. 2013. Elicitation of potato defence against Macrosiphum euphorbiae by cis-jasmone. Presented at: ENTO’ 13- Annual Meeting of The Royal Entomological Society (RES), 4 September 2013.
- Christensen, S. A. et al. 2013. The maize lipoxygenase, ZmLOX10, mediates green leaf volatile, jasmonate and herbivore-induced plant volatile production for defense against insect attack. Plant Journal 74(1), pp. 59-73. (10.1111/tpj.12101)
2012
- Sobhy, I., Erb, M., Sarhan, A., El-Husseini, M., Mandour, N. and Turlings, T. 2012. Less is more: Treatment with BTH and Laminarin reduces herbivore-induced volatile emissions in maize but increases parasitoid attraction. Journal of Chemical Ecology 38(4), pp. 348-360. (10.1007/s10886-012-0098-6)
- Consales, F. et al. 2012. Insect oral secretions suppress wound-induced responses in Arabidopsis. Journal of Experimental Botany 63(2), pp. 727-737. (10.1093/jxb/err308)
2011
- Sobhy, I. 2011. How to be more attractive: New approach to increase the general attractiveness of maize plants to parasitic wasps. Presented at: 3rd International Conference for Applied Biological Pests Control, 11 October 2011.
- Erb, M. et al. 2011. Synergies and trade-offs between insect and pathogen resistance in maize leaves and roots. Plant, Cell and Environment 34(7), pp. 1088-1103. (10.1111/j.1365-3040.2011.02307.x)
2010
- Sobhy, I., Sarhan, A., Shoukry, A., El-Kady, G., Mandour, N. and Reitz, S. 2010. Development, consumption rates and reproductive biology of Orius albidipennis reared on various prey. BioControl 55(6), pp. 753-765. (10.1007/s10526-010-9304-z)
- Sobhy, I. 2010. Do elicitors of plant pathogen resistance also enhance defenses against herbivores?. Presented at: 62nd International Symposium of Crop Protection (ISCP), 18 May 2010.
- Sobhy, I. 2010. Crop strengtheners: can they increase parasitoid attraction in multitrophic interactions?. Presented at: Multitrophic Interactions Workshop, Georg-August University, 19/03/2019.
2009
- Sobhy, I. 2009. Enhancing the attractiveness of crop plants to parasitoids with the use of natural elicitors. Presented at: 8th Phytochemical Society of Europe Meeting on Biopesticides, 21-26 September 2009.
- Sobhy, I. and Turlings, T. 2009. Sweet stuff for the good guys: Do poly-saccharide plant strengtheners enhance plant attractiveness to parasitic wasps?. Presented at: 25th Conference for the International Society of Chemical Ecology (ISCE), 23-27 August 2009.
2007
- Sobhy, I., Sarhan, A. and Shoukry, A. 2007. Reproductive biology and feeding consumption of Orius albidipennis (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) reared on four different prey. Presented at: 2nd International Conference of Economic Entomology ”Insect Pests and their Impact on National Economy”, 8-11 December 2007.
2006
- Sobhy, I., Sarhan, A., Shoukry, A., El-Kady, G. and Mandour, N. 2006. Effects of different temperature levels on the biological attributes of Orius albidipennis (Reuter) (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae). 6, pp. 213-216.
Articles
- Sobhy, I. S. and Berry, C. 2024. The chemical ecology of nectar-mosquito interactions: recent advances and future directions. Current Opinion in Insect Science 63, article number: 101199. (10.1016/j.cois.2024.101199)
- Ermio, J. D. L. et al. 2024. The indirect effect of nectar-inhabiting yeasts on olfactory responses and longevity of two stink bug egg parasitoids. BioControl (10.1007/s10526-023-10237-y)
- Osinde, C. et al. 2023. Comparative analysis of sorghum (C4) and rice (C3) plant headspace volatiles induced by artificial herbivory. Plant Signaling & Behavior 18(1), article number: 2243064. (10.1080/15592324.2023.2243064)
- Osinde, C., Sakamoto, W., Kajiya-Kanegae, H., Sobhy, I. S., Tugume, A. K., Nsubuga, A. M. and Galis, I. 2023. Identification of quantitative trait loci associated with sorghum susceptibility to Asian stem borer damage. Journal of Plant Interactions 18(1), article number: 2153182. (10.1080/17429145.2022.2153182)
- Ali, J., Sobhy, I. S. and Bruce, T. J. A. 2022. Wild potato ancestors as potential sources of resistance to the aphid Myzus persicae. Pest Management Science 78(9), pp. 3931-3938. (10.1002/ps.6957)
- Agarwala, N. et al. 2022. Impact of endophytic colonization by entomopathogenic fungi on the behavior and life history of the tobacco peach aphid Myzus persicae var. nicotianae. PLoS ONE 17(9), article number: e0273791. (10.1371/journal.pone.0273791)
- Sobhy, I. S., Lou, Y. and Bruce, T. J. A. 2022. Editorial: Inducing plant resistance against insects using exogenous bioactive chemicals: Key advances and future perspectives. Frontiers in Plant Science 13, article number: 890884. (10.3389/fpls.2022.890884)
- Sobhy, I. S. et al. 2022. Bioactive volatiles from push-pull companion crops repel fall armyworm and attract its parasitoids. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 10, article number: 883020. (10.3389/fevo.2022.883020)
- Ali, J., Covaci, A. D., Roberts, J. M., Sobhy, I. S., Kirk, W. D. J. and Bruce, T. J. A. 2021. Effects of cis-jasmone treatment of brassicas on interactions with myzus persicae aphids and their parasitoid diaeretiella rapae. Frontiers in Plant Science 12, article number: 7. (10.3389/fpls.2021.711896)
- Mujiono, K., Tohi, T., Sobhy, I. S., Hojo, Y., Shinya, T. and Galis, I. 2021. Herbivore-induced and constitutive volatiles are controlled by different oxylipin-dependent mechanisms in rice. Plant, Cell and Environment 44(8), pp. 2687-2699. (10.1111/pce.14126)
- Sobhy, I. S. and Bruce, T. J. 2021. Evolutionary ecology: Plant volatile profile changes after escaping specialist insects. Current Biology 31(15), pp. PR969-R971. (10.1016/j.cub.2021.06.043)
- Goelen, T. et al. 2021. Identification and application of bacterial volatiles to attract a generalist aphid parasitoid: from laboratory to greenhouse assays. Pest Management Science 77(2), pp. 930-938. (10.1002/ps.6102)
- Chiriboga Morales, X., Tamiru, A., Sobhy, I. S., Bruce, T. J. A., Midega, C. A. O. and Khan, Z. 2021. Evaluation of African maize cultivars for resistance to fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) larvae. Plants 10(2), article number: 392. (10.3390/plants10020392)
- Mujiono, K., Tohi, T., Sobhy, I. S., Hojo, Y., Ho, N. T., Shinya, T. and Galis, I. 2020. Ethylene functions as a suppressor of volatile production in rice. Journal of Experimental Botany 71(20), pp. 6491-6511. (10.1093/jxb/eraa341)
- Goelen, T. et al. 2020. Bacterial phylogeny predicts volatile organic compound composition and olfactory response of an aphid parasitoid. Oikos 129(9), pp. 1415-1428. (10.1111/oik.07301)
- Meza, F. C., Roberts, J. M., Sobhy, I. S., Okumu, F. O., Tripet, F. and Bruce, T. J. A. 2020. Behavioural and electrophysiological responses of female Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes to volatiles from a mango bait. Journal of Chemical Ecology 46(4), pp. 387-396. (10.1007/s10886-020-01172-8)
- Goelen, T. et al. 2020. Volatiles of bacteria associated with parasitoid habitats elicit distinct olfactory responses in an aphid parasitoid and its hyperparasitoid. Functional Ecology 34(2), pp. 507-520. (10.1111/1365-2435.13503)
- Sobhy, I. S., Caulfield, J. C., Pickett, J. A. and Birkett, M. A. 2020. Sensing the danger signals: cis-Jasmone reduces aphid performance on potato and modulates the magnitude of released volatiles. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 7, article number: 499. (10.3389/fevo.2019.00499)
- Sobhy, I. S., Goelen, T., Herrera-Malaver, B., Verstrepen, K. J., Wackers, F., Jacquemyn, H. and Lievens, B. 2019. Associative learning and memory retention of nectar yeast volatiles in a generalist parasitoid. Animal Behaviour 153, pp. 137-146. (10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.05.006)
- Bosmans, L. et al. 2018. Habitat-specific variation in gut microbial communities and pathogen prevalence in bumblebee queens (Bombus terrestris). PLoS ONE 13(10), article number: e0204612. (10.1371/journal.pone.0204612)
- Sobhy, I. et al. 2018. Sweet scents: Nectar specialist yeasts enhance nectar attraction of a generalist aphid parasitoid without affecting survival. Frontiers in Plant Science 9, article number: 1009. (10.3389/FPLS.2018.01009)
- Sobhy, S. I., Turlings, T. C. J. and Bruce, T. J. A. 2018. Priming of cowpea volatile emissions with defense inducers enhances the plant's attractiveness to parasitoids when attacked by caterpillars. Pest Management Science 74(4), pp. 966-977. (10.1002/PS.4796)
- Sobhy, I., Miyake, A., Shinya, T. and Galis, I. 2017. Oral secretions affect HIPVs iInduced by Generalist (Mythimna loreyi) and Specialist (Parnara guttata) herbivores in rice. Journal of Chemical Ecology 43, pp. 929-943. (10.1007/S10886-017-0882-4)
- Sobhy, I., Erb, M. and Turlings, T. 2015. Plant strengtheners enhance parasitoid attraction to herbivore-damaged cotton via qualitative and quantitative changes in induced volatiles. Pest Management Science 71(5), pp. 686-693. (10.1002/ps.3821)
- Sobhy, I. S., Mandour, N. S. and Sarhan, A. A. 2015. Tomato treatment with chemical inducers reduces the performance of Spodoptera littoralis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Applied Entomology and Zoology 50(2), pp. 175-182. (10.1007/s13355-014-0319-2)
- Sobhy, I., Abdul-Hamid, A., Sarhan, A., Shoukry, A., Mandour, N. and Reitz, S. 2014. Life history traits of Blaptostethus pallescens (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae), a candidate for use in augmentative biological control in Egypt. Applied Entomology and Zoology 49(2), pp. 315-324. (10.1007/s13355-014-0252-4)
- Sobhy, I. S., Erb, M., Lou, Y. and Turlings, T. C. J. 2014. The prospect of applying chemical elicitors and plant strengtheners to enhance the biological control of crop pests. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 369(1639), article number: 20120283. (10.1098/rstb.2012.0283)
- Christensen, S. A. et al. 2013. The maize lipoxygenase, ZmLOX10, mediates green leaf volatile, jasmonate and herbivore-induced plant volatile production for defense against insect attack. Plant Journal 74(1), pp. 59-73. (10.1111/tpj.12101)
- Sobhy, I., Erb, M., Sarhan, A., El-Husseini, M., Mandour, N. and Turlings, T. 2012. Less is more: Treatment with BTH and Laminarin reduces herbivore-induced volatile emissions in maize but increases parasitoid attraction. Journal of Chemical Ecology 38(4), pp. 348-360. (10.1007/s10886-012-0098-6)
- Consales, F. et al. 2012. Insect oral secretions suppress wound-induced responses in Arabidopsis. Journal of Experimental Botany 63(2), pp. 727-737. (10.1093/jxb/err308)
- Erb, M. et al. 2011. Synergies and trade-offs between insect and pathogen resistance in maize leaves and roots. Plant, Cell and Environment 34(7), pp. 1088-1103. (10.1111/j.1365-3040.2011.02307.x)
- Sobhy, I., Sarhan, A., Shoukry, A., El-Kady, G., Mandour, N. and Reitz, S. 2010. Development, consumption rates and reproductive biology of Orius albidipennis reared on various prey. BioControl 55(6), pp. 753-765. (10.1007/s10526-010-9304-z)
- Sobhy, I., Sarhan, A., Shoukry, A., El-Kady, G. and Mandour, N. 2006. Effects of different temperature levels on the biological attributes of Orius albidipennis (Reuter) (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae). 6, pp. 213-216.
Conferences
- Sobhy, I. 2019. Exploiting phytochemicals for developing a new phase of ‘push–pull’ strategy for tackling the devastating fall armyworm. Presented at: Association of Applied Biologist (AAB) IPM Meeting “Advances in Biological Control and IPM 2019: Addressing the innovation crisis, 20 November 2019 Presented at Sobhy, I. ed.
- Meza, F. C., Roberts, J. M., Sobhy, I. S., Moore, S. J., Okumu, F. O., Bruce, T. J. A. and Tripet, F. 2019. Identifying and testing the attractiveness of volatile chemical compounds from mango juice that attract malaria vectors in toxic sugar bait. Presented at: ASTMH 2019: Annual Meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 20-24 November 2019.
- Sobhy, I. and Lievens, B. 2018. Optimizing crops for biological control as a sustainable strategy of crop protection. Presented at: The International Days (International=digital?), 12-16 March 2018.
- Sobhy, I. et al. 2017. Floral nectar yeasts enhance parasitoid foraging and maintenance. Presented at: Ecology Across Borders: Joint Annual Meeting 2017, 11-14 December 2017.
- Galis, I. et al. 2017. Omics everywhere: How about in chemical ecology?. Presented at: 33rd Conference for the International Society of Chemical Ecology (ISCE), 23-27 August 2017.
- Galis, I., Sobhy, I., Miyake, A., Tanabe, K., Hojo, Y., Wari, D. and Shinya, T. 2016. Direct and indirect defense mechanism reveal complex protective shield against insect herbivores in rice. Presented at: The 11th JKUAT Scientific, Technological and Industrialization Conference, 10-11 November 2016.
- Sobhy, I., Miyake, A. and Galis, I. 2015. The diurnal emission pattern of constitutive and induced rice volatiles. Presented at: ISCE 2015: 31st Conference of the International Society of Chemical Ecology, 29 June - 3 July 2015.
- No authors listed, . 2015. Characterization of herbivore-induced rice volatiles under real and mimic herbivory. Presented at: 56th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists (JSPP), 16-18 March 2015 Presented at Sobhy, I. ed.
- Sobhy, I. 2013. Elicitation of potato defence against Macrosiphum euphorbiae by cis-jasmone. Presented at: ENTO’ 13- Annual Meeting of The Royal Entomological Society (RES), 4 September 2013.
- Sobhy, I. 2011. How to be more attractive: New approach to increase the general attractiveness of maize plants to parasitic wasps. Presented at: 3rd International Conference for Applied Biological Pests Control, 11 October 2011.
- Sobhy, I. 2010. Do elicitors of plant pathogen resistance also enhance defenses against herbivores?. Presented at: 62nd International Symposium of Crop Protection (ISCP), 18 May 2010.
- Sobhy, I. 2010. Crop strengtheners: can they increase parasitoid attraction in multitrophic interactions?. Presented at: Multitrophic Interactions Workshop, Georg-August University, 19/03/2019.
- Sobhy, I. 2009. Enhancing the attractiveness of crop plants to parasitoids with the use of natural elicitors. Presented at: 8th Phytochemical Society of Europe Meeting on Biopesticides, 21-26 September 2009.
- Sobhy, I. and Turlings, T. 2009. Sweet stuff for the good guys: Do poly-saccharide plant strengtheners enhance plant attractiveness to parasitic wasps?. Presented at: 25th Conference for the International Society of Chemical Ecology (ISCE), 23-27 August 2009.
- Sobhy, I., Sarhan, A. and Shoukry, A. 2007. Reproductive biology and feeding consumption of Orius albidipennis (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) reared on four different prey. Presented at: 2nd International Conference of Economic Entomology ”Insect Pests and their Impact on National Economy”, 8-11 December 2007.
Research
Research overview
My main research interests are in the field of applied plant biology, plant-microbe-insect interactions, induced plant defense, chemical ecology and crop protection. I am particularly interested in the defensive functions of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by plants and their associated microbes. Combining plant biology, entomology, behavioral ecology, microbiology, analytical chemistry, molecular biology, plant physiology, and multivariate statistics, I attempt to characterize the VOC profiles of plants and microbes, particularly the factors (abiotic & biotic) that affect or regulate the emission of these defense signals and how these VOCs mediate the behavior of insects from higher trophic levels. My major endeavor is to better understand the underlying mechanisms of plant-microbe-insect interactions that are mediated by VOCs, with the aim of developing ecologically benign, environment-friendly, and affordable interventions for crop protection against insect pests as key constraints to global food security.
Given that I am investigating the following research questions.
1- How do primed plants defend themselves against herbivore attack?
2- How do microbe–root associations modulate the above-ground plant interactions?
3- Do nectar microbes impact mosquito foraging behavior?
Research funding
My work has been supported by the following funders:
- BBSRC
- JSPS
- Taith
- FWO
- VLAIO
- KU Leuven
- The Royal Entomological Society
- Cardiff University School of Biosciences
Collaborators
Teaching
Undergraduate Level
- BI1001 Skills for Science
- BI2132 Genetics and its applications
- BI2135 Ecology A - Deputy module leader
- BI2136 Ecology B - Module leader
- BI3001 Biosciences Final Year Project
- BI3151 Plants for the Future: Frontiers in Plant Science
- BI3154 Biodiversity and Conservation Biology
Postgraduate Level
- BI4001 Advanced Research Peojects
- BI4002 Frontiers in Biosciences - Advanced Research Methods
- BIT055 Field Research and Placement - Module leader
Biography
- Currently, I am Lecturer in Plant Ecology, teaching the school’s undergraduate and postgraduate ecology and plant science courses. My research Interests are in the field of applied plant biology, plant-microbe-insect interactions, chemical ecology and crop protection.
- In 2021, I joined Cardiff University as Research Associate to conduct a research within mosquito feeding behaviour using novel sugar feeding systems.
- In 2018, I joined Keele University, UK, as a research associate in chemical ecology. There, I worked with collaborators from icipe (Kenya) on developing a new phase of 'push–pull' companion planting for tackling the devastating fall armyworm, a new invasive insect pest threats food security, in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- In 2016, I joined KU Leuven, Belgium, as a postdoctoral research associate where I had the opportunity to expand my expertise in plant-insect interactions to include microbes that are associated with floral nectar, especially aroma producing yeasts. I demonstrated that nectar-inhabiting yeasts produce specific microbial volatiles that robustly mediate the foraging behaviour of flower-visiting insects.
- In 2013, I joined the Plant-Insect Interactions group at Okayama University, Japan, after being awarding a Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Postdoctoral Fellowship. There, I investigated the inducible defence traits of rice and sorghum against lepidopterous herbivores.
- In 2012, after awarding my PhD in Entomology (Chemical Ecology), I was awarded a Rothamsted International Fellowship (RIF) to continue my PhD research line on plant defence inducers, as a postdoctoral fellow at Rothamsted Research, UK. I investigated how a plant elicitor, cis-jasmone (CJ), elicits potato defence against aphids and modulates the emission of defence volatiles.
- In 2009, I was awarded a doctoral fellowship (Sandwich PhD) to conduct my PhD studies at Neuchâtel University, Switzerland. In my PhD, I managed to increase the attractiveness of maize plants to parasitoids with the application of plant chemical elicitors.
- In 2004, I successfully completed an MSc in Entomology (Biological Control) on the factors affecting mass production of the anthocorid predators at Suez Canal University, Egypt.
Honours and awards
- Taith Research Mobility.
- Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society (FRES).
- KU Leuven Specialization Grant.
- JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship.
- Rothamsted International Postdoctoral Fellowship.
- The Phytochemical Society of Europe Award for Young Researchers.
Professional memberships
- Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society (RES).
- Member of the Association of Applied Biologist (AAB).
- Member of the International Society of Chemical Ecology (ISCE).
- Member of the Society of Chemical Industry (SCI)
Academic positions
- 2023-To date: Lecturer in Plant Ecology, Cardiff University, UK
- 2021-2022: Research Associate, Cardiff University, UK
- 2018-2021: Research Associate in Chemical Ecology, Keele University, UK
- 2017-2018: Postdoctoral Research Associate, KU Leuven, Belgium
- 2012-2017: Lecturer in Entomology, Suez Canal University, Egypt
- 2013-2015: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Okayama University, Japan
- 2012-2013: Postdoctoral Fellow, Rothamsted Research, UK
- 2009-2011: PhD Student, Neuchâtel University, Switzerland
- 2004-2012: Assistant Lecturer in Entomology, Suez Canal University, Egypt
- 2000-2004: Teaching Assistant, Suez Canal University, Egypt
Committees and reviewing
- Associate Editor for Physiological Entomology, Frontiers in Plant Science, Arthropod-Plant Inetrcations.
- Guest Editor for the research topic (Inducing Plant Resistance Against Insects Using Exogenous Bioactive Chemicals: Key Advances and Future Perspectives) - Frontiers in Plant Science.
- Review Editor for Frontiers in Plant Science (Plant Metabolism and Chemodiversity) and Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (Chemical Ecology).
- Reviewer for several journals (Global Change Biology, Journal of Experimental Botany, Current Opinion in Insect Science, Pest Management Science, Oikos, Scientific Reports, Animal Behaviour, PLoS One, Journal of Chemical Ecology, Insects, Crop Protection, Arthropod-Plant Interactions, Journal of Economic Entomology, Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, The Canadian Entomologist, International Journal of Acarology, and Physiological Entomology).
Supervisions
Current Post-graduate students
· 2023-2024 Ella Brooks - Integrated Master Student.
Thesis title: Do nectar-inhabiting microbes impact mosquito foraging behaviour?
· 2023-2024 Lloyd Roberts - MSc student.
Thesis title: The impact of novel conservation habitats in arable farmland on invertebrates.
· 2023-2024 Matthew Clark – MSc student.
Thesis title: The relationship between ecoacoustic indices and the species richness and abundance of invertebrates in chalk grasslands.
I am interested in supervising Master's and PhD students and in the areas of:
- Plant-microbe-insect interactions
- Crop protection
- Chemical ecology
- Biological control
I am open to conversations with enthusiastic postdoc candidates who are keen on exploring opportunities for securing funding from platforms like BBSRC, Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowships and other governmental postdoctoral scholarships.
If you are interested, please feel free to contact me by email.
Engagement
Media and Press
To improve the public audience awareness of my conducted research, I published the following outreach articles in popular and internationally recognized magazines:
- Islam S. Sobhy and Bart Lievens. Insects might soon be trained to protect our crops. The Conversation.
- Islam S. Sobhy and Ted C.J. Turlings. Cheap chemicals entice caterpillar-eating wasps to crops. SciDev.Net.
Research themes
Specialisms
- Animal behaviour
- Agrochemicals and biocides
- Agriculture, land and farm management