Ecological Applications
Our Ecological Applications group is excellent with research spanning the theoretical to the applied. What is particularly noteworthy about this core of faculty is their extensive use of modeling to forecast pests and diseases in space and time.
People specializing in this area
Faculty
Mary Barbercheck, Ph.D.
Sustainable and organic agriculture; Biological soil quality and sustainability; entomopathogenic nematode biology and ecology
Ottar Bjornstad, Ph.D.
Population ecology and population dynamics with particular emphasis on mathematical and computational aspects
Dennis Calvin, Ph.D.
Population dynamics, insect-plant interactions, and sampling technology related to insect pest management; modeling of biological systems; effects of climatic uncertainty on insect population dynamics and management
Shelby Fleischer, Ph.D.
Insect ecology and management in vegetable agroecosystems (Sweetcorn Monitoring Program)
Paul Heller, Ph.D.
IPM programs for Christmas trees and Turfgrass; efficacy studies conducted to evaluate conventional, biorational, and experimental formulations to suppress turfgrass insects; and studies with annual bluegrass to develop best management techniques for the golf industry.
Kelli Hoover, Ph.D.
Invasive species research: development of trapping techniques for the Asian longhorned beetle; gut microbial symbionts of the Asian longhorned beetle; methods development for exclusion of invasive species
Larry Hull, Ph.D.
Biology and management of arthropod pests and natural enemies on deciduous tree fruit crops; pesticide resistance management; pheromone mating disruption; evaluation of insecticides/acaricides/biologicals.
Bruce McPheron, Ph.D.
Insect population genetics; genetics of insecticide resistance; molecular systematics
Chris Mullin, Ph.D.
Molecular mechanisms underlying differences in susceptibilities of insect species to the effects of synthetic or natural poisons, amino acid receptors as models for selective taste and insecticide action, cytochrome P450 monooxygenases and epoxide hydrolases as model detoxification enzymes degrading sensory chemicals at nerve receptor sites, peptide and protein taste receptors in beetles, development of novel biopesticides.
Nancy Ostiguy, Ph.D.
IPM, impact of pesticides on non-target species; sampling strategies
Ed Rajotte, Ph.D.
IPM, biology of fruit pests, pollination and apiculture
Michael Saunders, Ph.D.
Ecology and IPM of arthropods affecting vineyards; design and development of computer-based systems that capture, formalize, and represent qualitative and quantitative knowledge associated with managed and natural systems
Matt Thomas, Ph.D.
Ecology and evolution of host-pathogen interactions; invasive species; agrobiodiversity and natural pest control; biological control
John Tooker, Ph.D.
Chemically mediated tritrophic interactions, host-plant location by herbivores, host location by parasitoids, understanding how plants defend themselves against insect herbivores, including the release of volatile compounds as indirect defenses, phytohormone dynamics in response to herbivory, gall-inducing insects.
Emeritus and Retired Faculty
Ke Chung Kim, Ph.D.
Biodiversity science: exploration, documentation, taxonomy/systematics of arthropod biodiversity; biodiversity inventory, assessment and monitoring. Forensic application of entomology. Biology and evolution of infraspecific variations. Ecology and coevolution of animal parasite/host interactions. Impacts of anthropogenic stressor on biodiversity.
