Research

I am an entomologist and behavioral ecologist, and also serve as the Coordinator of the Environmental Science B.S. program and as the Graduate Coordinator in Biology. Classes I teach include zoology, ecology, entomology and environmental science. My recent research concerns the effects of diet on reproductive development and on flight and dispersal of tephritid fruit flies, especially walnut husk flies (Rhagoletis completa) and olive fruit flies (Bactrocera oleae). My colleagues, students and I are also investigating pest management strategies and the effects of climate on control of walnut husk flies and olive flies in commercial orchards. Students in my laboratory often study a much wider array of organisms and behavioral/ecological questions than I do. In addition to investigations involving insects, studies by graduate students in my lab have included primate paternity and reproductive behavior analyses, invasion biology of cordgrass, heavy metal uptake in clams, nematode assemblages in San Francisco Bay, and human-rattlesnake interactions in area parks.

Walnut husk fly. Courtesy UNANR.