Research Interests

My primary research interests are in population dynamics, particularly those of insect populations involved in predator-prey, parasitoid-host, and other interspecific interactions. My research has focused on the effects of aspects of parasitoid biology and of population spatial structure on the dynamics of the interacting populations. I also am interested in the application of these ideas to conservation biology, biological pest control, and the impacts of these on each other.

One current project concerns the population dynamics of what I term "sublethal" parasitoids: species whose hosts reproduce (though possibly at reduced rates) despite being parasitized. The "feather-legged fly" (_Trichopoda_ _pennipes_; Diptera, Tachinidae), which parasitizes adults of its host (the southern green stinkbug, _Nezara_ _viridula_; Hemiptera, Pentatomidae), is being used in experimental and observational studies describing this interaction. Mathematical models are being used to explore the possible dynamic consequences of sublethality; these effects tend to be stabilizing but can be complex when age- or density-dependent effects are considered.

As an outgrowth of these studies of the _Trichopoda_-_Nezara_ interaction, I have been collaborating on studies of the impact on native bugs of _Trichopoda_ and other parasitoids introduced to Hawai`i to control the stinkbug.

Another major project addresses the dynamics of parasitoid-host "metapopulations" (ensembles of populations). Simulation models are being used to determine the circumstances under which parasitoid-host metapopulations persistence; factors of interest include various forms of environmental variability, more complex spatial structures, and density-dependent dispersal.