Professional Interest
My main research interest is to study the role of landscape composition in the relationship between pests and natural enemies. Most of my experience has been in agricultural ecosystems; however, as I entered my master’s, a shift in interest has been moved towards conservation of forested areas and specifically towards the natural control of the invasive pest of ash trees, the Emerald Ash Borer. As I switched to the PhD I am mostly interested in learning in depth the ecology and methods used to introduce and establish natural enemies that can lower the impact of this pest.
Current Research
My research investigates the emerald ash borer (EAB), first discovered in Michigan in 2002, attacking native North American ash trees (Fraxinus spp.). Without coevolved host resistance and natural enemies, millions of ash trees have been killed, and billions more are at risk. Among the initiatives attempted to eradicate this pest is the introduction of parasitic wasps from the EAB native range in East Asia. These biological control agents target the larval stages of the beetle and represent the best prospect for slowing the population growth and geographic spread of EAB.
Maryland's geography spanning climatic zones from the Atlantic coast to Appalachia provides an ideal range of environments to study EAB life cycle phenology with its biocontrol agents. We hypothesize that phenological synchrony provides higher parasitism and population control. This synchrony depends on altitude and temperature, where we will find slower EAB development at a higher elevation, broadening the window of opportunity for parasitism compared to coastal areas.
This is the first and most extensive study quantifying if EAB phenology matches its introduced biocontrol agents in natural conditions. Using the emerald ash borer in Maryland as a model species, we aim to understand how different climatic conditions can impact the development and adaptation of invasive species to a novel ecosystem, attempting to comprehend and predict the co-existence of these species and the efficacy of introduced biological control agents to slow their spread.
Maryland's geography spanning climatic zones from the Atlantic coast to Appalachia provides an ideal range of environments to study EAB life cycle phenology with its biocontrol agents. We hypothesize that phenological synchrony provides higher parasitism and population control. This synchrony depends on altitude and temperature, where we will find slower EAB development at a higher elevation, broadening the window of opportunity for parasitism compared to coastal areas.
This is the first and most extensive study quantifying if EAB phenology matches its introduced biocontrol agents in natural conditions. Using the emerald ash borer in Maryland as a model species, we aim to understand how different climatic conditions can impact the development and adaptation of invasive species to a novel ecosystem, attempting to comprehend and predict the co-existence of these species and the efficacy of introduced biological control agents to slow their spread.