Department of Entomology
|
|
|
| Evan C. Lampert Department of Entomology |
|
Education:
Ph.D. expected 2007. Entomology, North Dakota State University. Advising Professor: Paul Ode
BS Zoology. 2003, with honors. North Dakota State University.
Career Goals:
I am passionate about research and teaching in biological sciences. I am an ecologist who uses insect-plant interactions as model systems, and would like to continue research in this area as a career. Educating and mentoring future scientists is also an important future goal.
I strongly believe publicly-funded scientists have an obligation to share their research and its applications with those who support them. I actively promote the science of entomology in the community, and will continue to do so throughout my career.
Publications:
Carroll M.C., Lampert E.C., Berenbaum M.R., Noyes J.S., Ode P.J. in press. New records of Copidosoma sosares (Walker, 1837) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), a parasitoid of the parsnip webworm (Depressaria pastinacella) (Lepidoptera: Elachistidae), in western North America. Journal of the Kansas Entomology Society.
Research Accomplishments:
1 invited seminar
4 poster presentations at scientific meetings
8 oral presentations at scientific meetings
Research System:
| Secondary chemistry is an important plant
defense against herbivory, but the benefits of secondary chemistry are
reduced when natural enemies are also harmed. One such group of
chemicals, furanocoumarins produced by parsnip and other Apiaceae, provide
an effective defense against both generalist and specialist herbivores
such as parsnip webworms. In Europe, where both parsnip webworms and an
important natural enemy, the polyembryonic parasitoid Copidosoma
sosares, are native, these plants produce lower concentrations of
furanocoumarins than eastern American populations where C. sosares
is absent. |
|
|
| Several populations of C. sosares were discovered in the western US in 2001. My research examines this newly discovered tritrophic system. European field studies associated seed concentration of xanthotoxin, a furanocoumarin, with reduced clutch size of C. sosares. An artificial diet assay examining a range of xanthotoxin concentrations quantified from western US parsnip and cowparsnip seeds. We found that parsnip webworm hemolymph contains different concentrations of xanthotoxin depending on diet concentration, and C. sosares larvae are unable to metabolize this chemical. Further, increasing seed xanthotoxin concentration is significantly associated with clutch size reduction of C. sosares collected from several western US populations. Furanocoumarin concentrations are unexpectedly high in American populations of parsnip and cowparsnip where C. sosares is present, perhaps because the parasitoid has not been present long enough to act as a selective agent on plant chemistry. |
|
|
Copidosomatine encyrtids are unique for their polyembryonic development and larval soldier caste. Due to the genetic system of haplodiploidy, female C. sosares larvae share only one-quarter of their alleles with male siblings, which in turn share one-half of their alleles with female siblings. This relatedness asymmetry leads to conflicts between male and female siblings within the host, which lead to female-biased altered sex ratios and reductions in body size in mixed-sex broods. |
|
Personal:
I enjoy running, weightlifting, pickup sports, cooking, and eating. I have run five ˝ marathons and over two dozen “fun runs” of various lengths, despite a glaring lack of speed. I am a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Twins, and try to attend as many FM Redhawks and NDSU basketball and football games as possible.
| Entomology Home | ||
|
|
Department of Entomology, 202 Hultz Hall North Dakota State University, Fargo ND
Dr.
David Rider,
Interim Chair |
updated 07 May, 2007 |
