SPUR Projects:
Conservation value of insects and amphibians in stormwater ponds
Professor Vincent Resh
This project aims to determine the conservation value of stormwater wetlands
in the Bay Area by quantifying the environmental factors that maximize aquatic
species diversity. Little is known about the aquatic organisms utilizing these
artificial habitats and if native communities or nuisance taxa are represented.
Since freshwater wetlands are rare in California and most have been drained
in the past, the opportunity for these new wetlands to support a diverse native
community needs to be examined. Through this research we will determine what
pond characteristics correlate to a rich and diverse community composition.
The effects of climate change on the distribution of a vineyard pest
Professor Nicholas Mills
Temperature plays an important role in defining the distribution and abundance
of organisms, and global warming can lead to significant changes in the distribution
patterns of species. An interesting example of a recent change in distribution
is that of plant-feeding spider mites in California vineyards. Typically, Pacific
spider mites are found in the hot dry regions of the Central Valley and Willamette
spider mites inhabit the cooler humid coastal areas. However, in the summers
of 2005, 2006 and 2007 Pacific spider mites severely damaged vines in the supposedly
cool humid region of San Luis Obispo county. Pacific spider mites have never
been reported from coastal grapes before, and the 2005-2007 invasion reflects
a change in distribution that may be temperature driven.
Coevolution of Hawaiian Leaf Hoppers
Assistant Professor Patrick o'grady
This project will examine the systematics, historical biogeography and diversification
of a diverse leafhopper group (Cicadellidae: Nesophrosyne) endemic to the Hawaiian
Islands and their primary and second bacterial endosymbionts. The genus Nesophrosyne
contains 61 documented species distributed on all high islands in the archipelago,
and is intimately associated with native Hawaiian flora. Facilitating these
host plant interactions are two obligate bacterial endosymbionts (one being
a novel infection), implicated in the nutritional exploitation of host plants.
The widespread geography, host distribution of Nesophrosyne, and its association
with obligate endosymbionts present a unique opportunity to examine the processes
driving speciation of phytophagus insects. The discrete well-understood geology
and chronology of the islands add a necessary temporal context to evolution
of this system in.
Biogeography of Mycodrosophila in the Pacific
Assistant Professor Patrick O'Grady
Although the center of diversity of the genus Mycodrosophila is in Australia,
there are perhaps 50 species endemic to islands in the western Pacific Ocean.
The current project will examine the biogeographic patterns that have led to
the present day diversity by generating DNA based phylogenies of this genus
and using this to understand historical patterns of distribution.
Reconstructing the phylogeny and evolution of click beetles (Elateriadae)
using DNA sequence data
Associate Professor Kipling Will
Click beetles (Elateridae) are well known for their amazing click-startle defense
mechanism by which a beetle that is on its back (dorsal side) can flick itself
into the air righting itself and startling would be predators. Some species
are bioluminenscence and in some cases species are significant pests. It is
a family with a huge diversity, 400 genera and about 10,000 species worldwide.
The much evidence supports the family as a natural group, however, the relationships
within the family are unclear. This project intends to reconstruct the for the
family by developing a DNA sequence data matrix for several gene loci and focusing
on the tribe Pomachiliini, a taxonomically difficult group that is extremely
diverse and pivotal to developing an understanding the evolution of the group.
URAP projects :
Patrick O'Grady, Assistant Professor: Comparative Phylogenetics of Hawaiian Diptera (Extended deadline); Taxonomy and Biogeography of the Hawaiian Scaptomyza (Current Term Closed); Investigating the genome of Drosophila grimshawi (Current Term Closed)
George Roderick, Professor: Insect population histories and genetic variation. (Extended deadline); Butterfly Conservation Mapping in Yosemite National Park (Current Term Closed)
Robert Dudley, Professor: The biomechanics and evolution of flight in stick insects (Extended deadline)
Sheila Patek, Professor: Evolutionary variation of the mantis shrimp's raptorial appendage (Extended deadline); Elastic energy storage in the extreme predatory strike of mantis shrimp (Extended deadline)
Kipling Will, Associate Professor: Association of Chilean Parhypates ground beetle larvae and adults using DNA data (Current Term Closed); Association of Australian Pterostichine ground beetle larvae and adults using DNA data (Current Term Closed); Arthropod biodiversity of Chilean temperate forests (Current Term Closed)
If you are interested in insects and other arthropods but there are no project available for you, you may contact me at the address below or contact any of the ASP faculty. You can access their contact information on their webpage. Links provided on ASP home page.
Kipling W. Will <email>
Associate Professor/Insect Systematist
Associate Director,Essig Museum of Entomology
319Wellman Hall ESPM Dept.- Organisms & Environment Div.
phone 510-642-4296 fax 510-643-5438