Sara Hermann, Ph.D.

Sara Hermann, Ph.D.

  • Tombros Early Career Professor
  • Assistant Professor of Arthropod Ecology and Trophic Interactions
510 ASI Bldg.
University Park, PA 16802

Areas of Expertise

  • Predator-Prey Interactions
  • Arthropod Ecology
  • Behavioral Ecology
  • Chemical Ecology
  • Biological Control

Education

  • Ph.D. Entomology & Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Behavior, Michigan State University
  • M.Sc. Entomology, Cornell University
  • B.Sc. Environmental Science and Policy, University of South Florida

Websites:
Hermann Lab
Google Scholar
Instagram

Twitter

Research Summary
I am broadly interested in understanding how population and community dynamics are shaped by species interactions. My ongoing research addresses how top-down forces influence insect behavior and physiology, contribute to trophic cascades and structure ecological communities.

Much of our work focuses on the underappreciated role that predation risk has on arthropod ecology, which has importance in both natural and agricultural systems. A major element of this work is understanding how insects perceive predation threat by detecting predator odors. We currently have two lines of research in the lab: 1) understanding how lady beetle cues influence aphid populations in agroecosystems and 2) investigating the role of predation and predation risk on monarch caterpillar survival in conservation plantings.

Current Students

Lillian Germeroth (M.S. - Ecology)

Jorge Jaramillo (Ph.D. - Entomology)

Current Postdoctoral Scholars

Dr. Jessica Kansman 

Publications

Plant size, latitude, and phylogeny explain within-population variability in herbivory
Science, Robinson, M. L., Hahn, P. G., Inouye, B. D., Underwood, N., Whitehead, S. R., Abbott, K. C., Bruna, E. M., Cacho, N. I., Dyer, L. A., Abdala-Roberts, L., Allen, W. J., Andrade, J. F., Angulo, D. F., Anjos, D., Ansett, D, Anstett, D. N., Bagchi, R., Bagchi, S., Barbosa, M., Barrett, S., Baskett, C. A., Ben-Simchon, E., Bloodworth, K. J., Blooworth, K, Bronstein, J. L., Buckley, Y. M., Burghardt, K. T., Bustos-Segura, C., Calixto, E. S., Carvalho, R. L., Castagneyrol, B., Chiuffo, M. C., Cinoğlu, D, Cinolu, D., Cinto Mejía, E., Cock, M. C., Cogni, R., Cope, O. L., Cornelissen, T., Cortez, D. R., Crowder, D. W., Dallstream, C., Dáttilo, W., Davis, J. K., Dimarco, R. D., Dole, H. E., Egbon, I. N., Eisenring, M., Ejomah, A., Elderd, B. D., Hermann, S. L., Endara, M, Eubanks, M, Kersch-Becker, M. F., Tooker, J. F., Everingham, S, Farah, K, Farias, R, Fernandes, A, Fernandes, G, Ferrante, M, Finn, A, Florjancic, G, Forister, M, Fox, Q, Frago, E, França, F, Getman-Pickering, A, Getman-Pickering, Z, Gianoli, E, Gooden, B, Gossner, M, Greig, K, Gripenberg, S, Groenteman, R, Grof-Tisza, P, Haack, N, Hahn, L, Haq, S, Helms, A, Hennecke, J, Hermann, S, Holeski, L, Holm, S, Hutchinson, M, Jackson, E, Kagiya, S, Kalske, A, Kalwajtys, M, Karban, R, Kariyat, R, Keasar, T, 2023

Chemical ecology in conservation biocontrol: new perspectives for plant protection
Trends in Plant Science, Kansman, Jessica T., Jaramillo, Jorge L., Ali, Jared G., Hermann, Sara L., 2023

Smelling danger: Lady beetle odors affect aphid population abundance and feeding, but not movement between plants
Basic and Applied Ecology, Kansman, Jessica T., Nersten, Colleen E., Hermann, Sara L., 2023

Using community science to identify predators of spotted lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae), in North America
Bulletin of Entomological Research, Johnson, Anne, Cornell, Allison, Hermann, Sara, Zhu, Fang, Hoover, Kelli, 2023

Both consumptive and non-consumptive effects of predators impact mosquito populations and have implications for disease transmission
eLife, Russell, Marie C., Herzog, Catherine M., Gajewski, Zachary, Ramsay, Chloe, Moustaid, Fadoua El, Evans, Michelle V., Desai, Trishna, Gottdenker, Nicole L., Hermann, Sara L., Power, Alison G., McCall, Andrew C., 2022

Chemical Ecology and Predator–Prey Interactions: Understanding the Role of Chemistry on Complex, Trophic Relationships in a Changing World
Journal of Chemical Ecology, Hermann, Sara L., Thaler, Jennifer S., 2021

Predation risk differentially affects aphid morphotypes: impacts on prey behavior, fecundity and transgenerational dispersal morphology
Oecologia, Hermann, Sara L., Bird, Sydney A., Ellis, Danielle R., Landis, Douglas A., 2021

Predators of monarch butterfly eggs and neonate larvae are more diverse than previously recognised
Scientific Reports, Hermann, Sara L., Blackledge, Carissa, Haan, Nathan L., Myers, Andrew T., Landis, Douglas A., 2019

The effect of predator presence on the behavioral sequence from host selection to reproduction in an invulnerable stage of insect prey
Oecologia, Hermann, Sara L., Thaler, Jennifer S., 2018

A meta-analysis of non-consumptive predator effects in arthropods: the influence of organismal and environmental characteristics
Oikos, Buchanan, Amanda L., Hermann, Sara L., Lund, Margaret, Szendrei, Zsofia, 2017

Scaling up our understanding of non-consumptive effects in insect systems
Current Opinion in Insect Science, Hermann, Sara L., Landis, Douglas A., 2017

Thermally moderated firefly activity is delayed by precipitation extremes
Royal Society Open Science, Hermann, Sara L., Xue, Saisi, Rowe, Logan, Davidson-Lowe, Elizabeth, Myers, Andrew, Eshchanov, Bahodir, Bahlai, Christie A., 2016

Alightment of spotted wing drosophila (diptera: Drosophilidae) on odorless disks varying in color
Environmental Entomology, Kirkpatrick, D. M., McGhee, P. S., Hermann, S. L., Gut, L. J., Miller, J. R., 2016

Erratum: Host genetic determinants of microbiota-dependent nutrition revealed by genome-wide analysis of Drosophila melanogaster (Nature Communications (2015) 6 (6312) DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7312)
Nature Communications, Dobson, Adam J., Chaston, John M., Newell, Peter D., Donahue, Leanne, Hermann, Sara L., Sannino, David R., Westmiller, Stephanie, Wong, Adam C.N., Clark, Andrew G., Lazzaro, Brian P., Douglas, Angela E., 2015

Host genetic determinants of microbiota-dependent nutrition revealed by genome-wide analysis of Drosophila melanogaster
Nature Communications, Dobson, Adam J., Chaston, John M., Newell, Peter D., Donahue, Leanne, Hermann, Sara L., Sannino, David R., Westmiller, Stephanie, Wong, Adam C.N., Clark, Andrew G., Lazzaro, Brian P., Douglas, Angela E., 2015

Prey perception of predation risk: volatile chemical cues mediate non-consumptive effects of a predator on a herbivorous insect
Oecologia, Hermann, Sara L., Thaler, Jennifer S., 2014