Ecology, Conservation, Restoration, Climate Change
Expertise in ecology is broadly represented in the Department of Entomology and includes behavioral ecology, chemical and microbial ecology, plant-insect and predator-prey interactions, population and food-web dynamics, and community ecology. Entomology Department faculty also maintain a commitment to the application of ecological theory to biological control, pest management, habitat restoration, and conservation biology. Maryland has a long and rich tradition of biological control involving collaborative projects with federal, state, and county agencies, and with private industry. Active research programs supported by NSF and USDA are ongoing in both natural and managed systems.
Current research efforts emphasize the conservation of natural enemies, augmentative releases, and investigations into the basic ecology and behavior of natural enemies. Concerning pest management at large, research projects include the use of transgenic crops, the isolation of bioactive substances from microbial symbionts of insects, and the identification and incorporation of genes from entomopathogenic fungi into plants. Recently, several faculty members have extended their ecological expertise to address other applied problems associated with the consequences of transgenic crops on non-target organisms, habitat fragmentation, biodiversity, and the disturbance food-web dynamics.
Current research efforts emphasize the conservation of natural enemies, augmentative releases, and investigations into the basic ecology and behavior of natural enemies. Concerning pest management at large, research projects include the use of transgenic crops, the isolation of bioactive substances from microbial symbionts of insects, and the identification and incorporation of genes from entomopathogenic fungi into plants. Recently, several faculty members have extended their ecological expertise to address other applied problems associated with the consequences of transgenic crops on non-target organisms, habitat fragmentation, biodiversity, and the disturbance food-web dynamics.
Insects function as vital components of freshwater and estuarine ecosystems, serving critical roles in processing organic matter, herbivory, predation, and as food for higher trophic levels. As a consequence, species of aquatic and semi-aquatic insects are valuable to researchers as model systems to study insect ecology and the functioning of aquatic ecosystems. Because aquatic insects respond differently to physical and chemical conditions of freshwater habitats, they are commonly used as biological indicators of environmental stresses and effects of restoration. Many species are also important pests, such as mosquitoes and black flies, and others are the focus of conservation efforts.
The University’s location near the Chesapeake Bay creates many opportunities for research that contributes to our understanding of what controls the health of watersheds and their tributaries. Maryland’s waterways are crucial to the economic and ecological vitality of the region, yet their health is currently threatened to a staggering degree. This region comprises less than one-fifth of the contiguous United States but accounts for over one-half of the nation's population and housing supply. Restoration of these ecosystems is therefore being emphasized and receiving enormous financial support. Many faculty at the University of Maryland have large research programs with the aim to understand the interplay of complex social and environmental factors that influence the Bay’s health.
The University’s location near the Chesapeake Bay creates many opportunities for research that contributes to our understanding of what controls the health of watersheds and their tributaries. Maryland’s waterways are crucial to the economic and ecological vitality of the region, yet their health is currently threatened to a staggering degree. This region comprises less than one-fifth of the contiguous United States but accounts for over one-half of the nation's population and housing supply. Restoration of these ecosystems is therefore being emphasized and receiving enormous financial support. Many faculty at the University of Maryland have large research programs with the aim to understand the interplay of complex social and environmental factors that influence the Bay’s health.
Participating Faculty
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Karin Burghardt, Assistant Professor
PLS 4120A | kburghar@umd.edu Research: Dr. Burghardt is an ecologist broadly interested in how plant defenses shape communities and ecosystems. Her research addresses this question through the lens of multiple trophic levels (plants, insects, birds, and microbes). New work will extend this understanding to fluxes and flows of nutrients as well. |
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Anahi Espindola, Assistant Professor
PLS 3138 | 301-405-3920 | anahiesp@umd.edu Research: The Espindola Lab focuses on the effect of the biotic and abiotic environment on individual species, species communities, and inter-species interactions (with a slight preference for pollination) using molecular, geospatial, ecological, and experimental approaches. |
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Daniel Gruner, Associate Professor
PLS 4142 | 301-405-3957 | dsgruner@umd.edu Research: The Gruner Lab investigates species interactions in food webs, the maintenance of biodiversity in ecological communities, and community feedbacks with ecosystem function. Research in the Gruner Lab use arthropods in terrestrial ecosystems, but also includes soils and treetops, with organisms from nematodes to birds to herbaceous plants in both temperate and tropical regions. |
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William Lamp, Professor
PLS 4138 | 301-405-3959 | lamp@umd.edu Research: The Lamp Lab studies the ecology of insects in the human environment, with projecting aligning with three broad fields: integrated pest management (IPM) of forage crops; understanding ecology of emerging insect pests; and implications of IPM and land use on invertebrates in streams and wetlands. |
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Maile Neel, Professor
PLS 6117 | 301-405-9780 | mneel@umd.edu Research: The Neel Lab applies and integrates techniques from traditionally disparate fields to study patterns of biological diversity and the ecological and evolutionary processes that created them and develops effective conservation approaches to predict the effects of changing ecological patterns and evolutionary processes. |
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Margaret Palmer, Professor & Director at SESYNC
PLS 4126 | 301-405-3795 | mpalmer@umd.edu Research: Research and engagement in the Palmer Lab focuses on the sustainability of natural systems and the development of solutions to difficult problems at the interface of humans and the environment including: (1) restoring the processes that support healthy aquatic ecosystems, (2) understanding how hydrologic flows and linkages influence the flux and fate of carbon in wetlands, and (3) accelerating actionable research by inter- and trans-disciplinary teams. |
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Paula Shrewsbury, Associate Professor & Extension Specialist
PLS 3156 | 301-405-7664 | pshrewsbury@umd.edu Research: The overall focus of the Shrewsbury Lab is to identify methods to restore plant and insect community dynamics to create sustainable urban landscapes, nurseries, and turf systems, with an emphasis on biological control and conservation of natural enemies. The program also studies the ecology and management of invasive species in managed environments. |
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Sara Via, Professor & Extension Specialist
PLS 3149 | 301-405-8941 | svia@umd.edu Research: Dr. Via is currently focused on climate change outreach and extension. Previous work in the Via Lab dealt with the genetics of insect-plant interactions, the genetic architecture of local adaptation and host plant specialization in pea aphids, and evolutionary genetics of speciation. |
