lab profiles - Entomological Society of Canada

Transcription

Compilation of Lab Profiles Published in the
Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Canada
June 2003
September 2003
December 2003
March 2004
June 2004
September 2004
December 2004
March 2005
June 2005
September 2005
Mark Winston, Simon Fraser University
Guy Boivin, St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Agriculture and Agri-Foood Canada
Jens Roland, University of Alberta
Dan Quiring, University of New Brunswick
Chris Buddle, McGill University
Jacques Brodeur, Université Laval
Department of Entomology, University of Manitoba
Peggy Dixon, St John’s, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Bernie Roitberg, Simon Fraser University
Eric Lucas, Université de Québec à Montréal
Lab Profile / Profil de labo
By Shelley Hoover
The Winston Lab, Simon Fraser University
T
he Winston lab is at Simon Fraser University (SFU), Burnaby, British Columbia. There
are many entomology labs at SFU, including the Borden, Gries, Roitberg and Crespi
labs. Check them out at http://www.sfu.ca/biology/. We share lab and office space with John
Borden and his students, and they nicely tolerate the occasional bee flying around in exchange for
honey in the fall. We are (affectionately?) known as the Swarm Team. Every summer there is a hotly
contested cheesecake competition and a cookie competition at Halloween. Our bees have been featured on the TV shows; Smallville, and the X-files, and a recent ‘B’ movie Killerbees! Our main
problems are the inevitable bee stings, and early mornings when we must be up before the bees. To
combat these issues and maintain our high morale, we consume a steady diet of Tim Horton’s fare.
Other benefits of being in the Winston lab are the great people, and of course all the honey.
R. Long
Professor Mark L. Winston; winston@sfu.ca, http://www.sfu.ca/biology/faculty/winston/
Mark received his BA and MA from Boston University, and his PhD from the University of Kansas.
He has been a professor at Simon Fraser University since 1980. He is a member of the
Members of Mark Winston’s Lab at SFU. From left to right: Robin Whittington, Mark
Winston, Anna Birmingham (glasses), Erik Von Krogh, Lora Morandin (top), Shelley
Hoover (bottom), Michelle Franklin (top), Desiree Tommasi (bottom, glasses), Robin
Cho, Jacopo Miro (top), Nick Charette (bottom), Heather Higo, Alita Krickan and Tracy
Lau. Missing: Alice Miro, Claudia Ratti and Mowgli (dog).
Volume 35(2), juin 2003
Bulletin de la Société d'entomologie du Canada
79
Lab Profile
Centre for Pest Management, the Behavioural Ecology Research Group and the Chemical Ecology
Research Group, as well as a Fellow of the M.J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue and Director of the
Undergraduate Semester in Dialogue. Mark is the author of numerous scientific articles, as well as
many books and book chapters.
The Swarm Team
Technician
Heather Higo; hhigo@sfu.ca
What would we do without Heather? ‘Lab tech’ doesn’t begin to describe her work. Heather is
responsible for the maintenance and care of all the honey bee colonies, she assists the graduate
students with their projects, and even manages to do her own research on many aspects of honey bee
biology and pollination. Heather received her BSc and MSc from SFU.
Graduate students
Lora Morandin; PhD student, lmorandi@sfu.ca
Lora is currently studying the relationship between modern agricultural practices and pollinators.
Her research focuses on; 1) the effects of pesticides on bee health and learning ability, and 2) the
effects of different types of agriculture (organic, conventional and genetically modified) on wild bee
diversity, abundance, and pollination efficacy. Lora’s research is conducted at SFU and in rural
Alberta. Lora did her BSc and MSc at the University of Western Ontario, working on bumble bee
pollination of greenhouse tomatoes with Terence Laverty, UWO and Peter Kevan, University of
Guelph.
S. Hoover
Shelley Hoover; PhD student, sehoover@sfu.ca, http://www.sfu.ca/~sehoover/
My primary research objective is to investigate how natural selection pressures have acted on social
Chris Tucker and Heather Higo doing some spring beekeeping,
Burnaby B.C., May 2002.
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Volume 35(2), June 2003
Profil de labo
insects to produce different life history strategies, colony types and reproductive modes. I am interested in; 1) the evolution of multiple mating in honey bees, 2) genetic and environmental variation
in honey bee behaviour and physiology and 3) factors influencing worker reproduction in social
insects. Specifically, I have been looking at pheromones that inhibit honey bee worker ovary development, genetic and environmental variation in worker reproduction, and selecting for high and low
levels of worker honey bee reproduction. I have also been collaborating with Ben Oldroyd at the
University of Sydney, looking at factors leading to the ‘Anarchistic Syndrome’ in which honey bee
workers lay eggs despite the presence of a reproductive queen. I did my BSc at the University of
Northern British Columbia, and worked on rootcollar weevils and ambrosia beetles with Staffan
Lindgren and aquatic insects with Josef Ackerman.
Anna Birmingham; MSc student, alb@sfu.ca
Anna also works in greenhouses, studying the orientation and social structure of bumble bees in
greenhouses. She has looked at; 1) the incidence of drifting bees, 2) whether landmarks aid bee
orientation in greenhouses and 3) the reproductive status of drifting and resident bees. She has
found that the incidence of drifting bees in greenhouses is high and the drifting bees are more
reproductively active in their host colonies than the resident bees. Anna is famous for having bikes
stolen, and trying to avoid accidents. Anna completed her BSc at the University of Western Ontario,
looking at the foraging constancy of bumble bees with Terence Laverty.
Robin Whittington; MSc student
Robin recently defended her MSc thesis examining factors that limit bumble bee colony growth and
pollination on commercial greenhouses. She investigated; 1) whether bumble bees received adequate nutrition in tomato greenhouses, 2) whether bumble bees forage outside the greenhouses and
if so how much?, 3) the relative merits of Bombus impatiens and B. occidentalis as greenhouse
pollinators and 4) the protozoan parasite Nosema bombi. Robin did her BSc at SFU, and will be
working in Banff this summer. She will be sorely missed.
Claudia Ratti; MSc student, cratti@sfu.ca
Claudia is the most recent addition to the lab. She will be studying native bee abundance and diversity in berry crops in the Fraser Valley. Claudia graduated with her BSc from the University of
Waterloo.
Undergraduate stundents
Michelle Franklin; BSc student, mfrankli@sfu.ca
Michelle has been working in the lab since 2001, and has recently completed and NSERC undergraduate project looking at the effects of a new pesticide on bumble bee health, learning and foraging ability. She hopes to continue in biology, studying aquatic habitats, and will graduate from SFU
in fall 2003.
Mascot
Mowgli
Mowgli is Lora’s dog, and a full-fledged lab member. She often provides a muchneeded Frisbee break, and her breath isn’t all that bad.
Editor’s Note: If you would like to share what is happening in your laboratory, please contact me.
This is good way for potential graduate students to learn about your lab.
Volume 35(2), juin 2003
81
Par Véronique Martel
Le labo Boivin
CRDH - Agriculture et
Agroalimentaire Canada
expériences sur différents sujets. Elle a un DEC
en sciences naturelles du Cégep de Sainte-Foy,
au Québec.
L
e laboratoire de Guy Boivin est situé au
Centre de Recherche et Développement
en Horticulture d'Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada à St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, au
Québec. Ouf! Un bien long nom pour un labo!
Pour ceux qui ne connaissent pas St-Jean-surRichelieu, il s'agit d'une petite ville située sur la
rive sud de Montréal et dont je ne connaissais
que le nom avant mon entrée au labo. Les différents sujets de recherche abordés au laboratoire tournent autour de l'écologie comportementale des parasitoïdes. Que ce soit pour
approfondir les connaissances sur la biologie des
différentes espèces étudiées ou pour une application en lutte biologique, les parasitoïdes constituent notre point de mire.
Guy Boivin; chercheur, boiving@agr.gc.ca,
(450) 346-4494 poste 210,
http://res2.agr.gc.ca/stjean/index.htm
Guy est un excellent directeur de recherche!
Toujours présent pour répondre aux questions
ou pour encourager, il sait être patient et écouter
ce que ses étudiants ont à dire. Il sait aussi féliciter ou complimenter un travail qui le mérite,
qualité essentielle pour le moral des troupes! Il
a fait son BSc en biologie et sa maîtrise en entomologie à l 'Université de Montréal, puis son
PhD, aussi en entomologie, à l'Université
McGill. Il s'intéresse à l'écologie comportementale des parasitoïdes, et plus spécifiquement à la
localisation et l'acceptation des hôtes, à l'écologie
des stades immatures et à la reproduction des
parasitoïdes.
Les employées :
Danielle Thibodeau; technicienne
Danielle est LA personne ressource du labo!
Efficace et rapide, elle règle tous les problèmes
en moins de deux! Elle est technicienne du labo
depuis le début et veille au bon fonctionnement
du labo, fait du travail de terrain et exécute des
Volume 35(3), septembre 2003
Josiane Vaillancourt; technicienne
Josiane est également technicienne au labo. Elle
a fait un BSc en biologie, option écologie, à
l'UQÀM, à Montréal. Elle s'occupe de différents
projets de recherche, mais travaille présentement
sur l'effet des paramètres environnementaux sur
l'envol de la pyrale du maïs et sur l'isolement
d'une kéromone afin d'attirer Aleochara (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) dans des champs désignés.
Julie Frenette; technicienne
Toujours à son affaire, Julie est aussi toujours
prête à donner un coup de main lorsque le besoin
se fait sentir. Elle aussi, technicienne au labo,
elle s'occupe de plusieurs élevage au labo: le
charançon de la carotte, deux espèces d'Anaphes
(Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) et elle collabore à
l'élevage d'Aleochara bilineata et de la mouche
Guy Boivin au labo
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Lab Profile
de l'oignon. Elle fait également des bio-essais
avec Aleochara bilineata. Elle a un DEC en Technique des sciences naturelles, option Inventaire
et recherche en biologie.
Les étudiants :
David Damiens; post-doctorat
Et oui! C'est lui le Français qui perturbe les sex
ratios! Arrivé en avril dernier, il veut déterminer
si les mâles Trichogramma evanescens (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) sont capables
ou non de produire des spermatozoïdes après leur
émergence. Grâce à une technique de coloration
des spermatozoïdes, il va évaluer le stock des
gamètes en début de vie, ainsi que lors des séries
d'accouplement multiples des mâles. David a fait
ses études en biologie des populations à Lille et
à Tours, en France, et a fait son PhD avec Claude
Chevrier également sur les stratégies de reproduction et la caractérisation des stocks de spermatozoïdes, mais chez des parasitoïdes de bruches.
Annabelle Firlej; étudiante au doctorat
Annabelle est une étudiante française dont
l'accent est plutôt difficile à cerner… Étant au
Québec depuis 5 ans, les Français ne la reconnaissent pas comme étant des leurs et les Québécois décèlent un petit accent étranger…! Annabelle a fait l'équivalent de son BSc en France et
sa maîtrise à l'UQÀM avec Daniel Coderre et
Gérald Chouinard. Elle fait présentement son
PhD au labo sur Dinocampus coccinellae un
parasitoïde de la coccinelle asiatique afin de
déceler des adaptations comportementales, physiologiques et immunitaires du parasitoïde et de
la coccinelle selon un gradient nord-sud.
Josée Doyon; étudiante à la maîtresse
Josée est une fille plutôt discrète et réservée qui
ne dérange jamais personne! Elle est présentement en rédaction pour sa maîtrise, donc pas très
Le labo de Guy Boivin, de gauche à droite : Pierre-Aldric Jeanne (stagiaire français), David
Damiens, Julie Frenette, Josiane Vaillancourt, Danielle Thibodeau, Annabelle Firlej,
Catherine Bernier (employée d'été). Les absents de la photo : Michel Cournoyer, Anthony
Daniel, Josée Doyon, Sébastien Jacob, Éléonore Tremblay et moi-même, Véronique Martel.
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Volume 35(3), September 2003
Profil de labo
Paul Fields
Éléonore Tremblay; étudiante à la maîtresse,
tremblayel@agr.gc.ca
Éléonore, après son BSc en agronomie à McGill,
a travaillé pendant 5 ans au centre de recherche
de St-Jean-sur-Richelieu avant de commencer
une maîtrise. Elle la fait donc avec Guy Boivin,
sur l'effet d'un savon insecticide sur la survie, le
comportement et la valeur adaptative de Myzus
persicae (Homoptera: Aphididae) et de son parasitoïde, Aphidius colemani (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) en laboratoire
Josiane Vaillancourt s'habille pour éviter le
contact avec les écailles de lépidoptère. On
élève des lépidoptères pour leurs oeufs qui
servent à l'élevage de trichogrammes.
Étudiants en rédaction
Je ne voudrais pas passer sous silence les étudiants en rédaction, qui sont maintenant rarement
présent au laboratoire.
Sébastien Jacob; étudiant à la maîtresse
Anthony Daniel; étudiant à la maîtresse
Michel Cournoyer; étudiant à la maîtresse
Véronique Martel; étudiante à la maîtresse,
martelv@agr.gc.ca
Pour ma part, j'ai déposé mon mémoire cet été à
McGill et en attend les corrections!!! Mon projet de recherche consistait à étudier l'effet de différents facteurs (inbreeding et LMC) sur
l'allocation des sexes et l'importance des accouplements précédents la dispersion chez le parasitoïde des œufs, Trichogramma. Après de nombreuses hésitations, j'ai finalement décidé de ne
pas faire de PhD, mais plutôt de me chercher un
emploi: avis aux intéressés…!
Mathieu St-Louis
présente au labo! Son projet consistait principalement à évaluer la raison pour laquelle les
mâles Trichogramma evanescens émergent avant
les femelles en testant plusieurs hypothèses. Elle
a fait son BSc à l'UQÀM en biologie.
Trichogramma sur un oeuf de lépidoptère.
Editor’s Note: If you would like to share what is happening in your laboratory, please contact me.
This is good way for potential graduate students to learn about your lab.
Volume 35(3), septembre 2003
135
By Maggie Glasgow
The Roland Lab
T
he Roland lab is located in the Biological Sciences Center, at the University of
Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta. The Roland crew is primarily interested in examining
the impacts of landscape characteristics on population process of the forest tent caterpillar and
its natural enemies. Other ongoing projects include metapopulation dynamics of butterfly populations in Kananaskis, Alberta and on the Gulf
Islands in British Columbia.
Life in the Roland lab is not all work! Every
year our lab hosts the “Annual Roland Curling
Bonspiel”, one of finest gatherings of poor to
average curlers in the area. Students and staff
from all departments join in the fun – there is
even a trophy to be won! When we’re not working or playing, we can usually be found eating.
This habit was learned relatively recently,
brought by former Finnish postdoc, Tomas Roslin, who was known to have multiple lunches.
The Roland lab regularly bonds over lunch, tending to focus on ethnic foods of the all-you-caneat variety. Based on the detailed data we have
collected, starving oneself – no breakfast – has
been proven essential to boosting the ability to
eat big lunches. Morning coffee breaks are usually spent trekking through snow and sleet to
the nearest Tim Hortons to get their Boston
creams and coffee. Beer-bonding time has also
been known to occur at the campus graduate student lounge Friday. Currently, we are working
out details for the creation of a Roland Lab Band,
complete with guitars, penny whistles, mandolin, banjo, flute, piano and fiddle. Unfortunately, at present we have more instruments than we
do talent or people to play them, so we have a
ways to go. We are seeking talented singers to
join this band. Our goal is to be signed to a recording label within the next two years.
Jens Roland; jens.roland@ualberta.ca,
http://www.biology.ualberta.ca/faculty/
jens_roland/
Jens Roland started his academic career at the
University of Alberta, completing his BSc in
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1976. This was followed by an MSc at the University of British Columbia in 1981 on adaptive
melanism in alpine Colias butterflies. The West
Coast apparently suited Jens, as he decided to
stay put for his PhD, remaining at UBC to work
on population dynamics and biological control
of the winter moth on Vancouver Island. Jens
returned to the University of Alberta in 1992 as
a faculty member, where he has remained for
the last 12 years. When not teaching, Jens continues to play an active part in several research
projects. His primary project is a long-term study
on forest tent caterpillar dynamics and landscape
characteristics. As well, he has recently started
small projects on habitat fragmentation effects
on native and introduced leaf-cutter bees, and
has supervised a project on spatially structured
populations of gall midges and their parasitoids.
Jens is also part of such committees as The Editorial Board of Biological Control Theory and
Application, and is an Organizer of a Symposium on Metapopulations and Spatially structured
Populations for the International Congress of
Entomology in Brisbane.
Jens’s pastimes include hiking, X-country
skiing and long walks on the beach. As well, he
appears to take special delight in watching his
beloved Oilers trounce other Canadian hockey
teams.
Kimberly Rondeau; MSc student,
kimberly.rondeau@ualberta.ca
Kim graduated in 2002 with a BSc from Okanagan University College. As the newest member
of the lab, she has alternated between working
with Rob Bourchier, a research scientist at the
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Research
Centre in Lethbridge, Alberta and with Jens and
the Roland lab in Edmonton, Alberta.
Currently, Kim is investigating insect dispersal in the root-boring weevil Cyphocleonus achates used predominantly for biocontrol of Knapweed (Centaurea maculosa, C. diffusa). Being
established as a highly destructive agent on
Knapweed but a poor disperser, Cyphocleonus
achates is under study in order to improve the
chances of controlling this weed. Kim’s research
focuses on using mark-recapture methods to
Volume 35(4), December 2003
Profil de labo
Some members of the Roland lab (left to right): Wayne Hallstrom, Dave Roth, Maggie Glasgow,
Jens Roland, Kimberly Rondeau and Dana Sjostum.
determine; 1) if this insect employs flight as a
dispersal mechanism, 2) if sex, weight or age
have an impact on dispersal of Cyphocleonus
achates and 3) if plant phenology determines
dispersal.
Maggie
Glasgow;
MSc
student,
mglasgow@ualberta.ca
I have just completed my first field season.
My project examines the impacts of forest fragmentation on the regulation of forest tent caterpillars (FTC) by generalist predators along a
gradient of FTC densities. Specifically, I am
examining how depredation rates of FTC pupae
differ at outbreak versus low densities, in forest
fragments and continuous forest patches. The
main guild of generalist predators includes carabid beetles and birds. Along the FTC population gradient in the different forest structures, I
erected cages that excluded only birds, only beetles and both birds and beetles. Preliminary analysis indicates that depredation rates are significantly higher at low FTC densities but do not
differ in forest fragments versus continuous forest patches. Birds appear to have a greater effect
Volume 35(4), décembre 2003
on FTC pupal populations than do predacious
arthropods. Another major finding that came out
of this year’s field season is that the Albertan
foothills are an impressive area of Canada. The
amount of wildlife that I encountered this summer is also very impressive – a few bears, elk,
mule and white tailed deer, moose, attack
grouse… I completed my undergraduate degree
from the University of Manitoba, and subsequently worked for two years in the “Wheat
Midge lab” at AAFC in Winnipeg before joining the caterpillar crew.
Dave Roth; MSc student, dzroth@ualberta.ca
Dave Roth has just finished his first year in
the Roland lab. He is currently examining how
forest fragmentation alters the relationship between forest tent caterpillar (FTC) and its parasitoid guild. Specifically, how does the increased
isolation resulting from forest fragmentation alter the ability of both diptera and hymenoptera
parasitoids to respond to increased FTC densities? Dave’s project consists of experimentally
elevating FTC densities in continuous and frag-
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Lab Profile
mented forest, and comparing parasitism rates
in the two landscape types. Preliminary analysis
of the first summer’s data suggests that fragmentation does not affect all parasitoid species equally, although poor initial host survival resulted in
low sample sizes, limiting the significance of this
year’s results. The only highly significant result
revealed was that the frequency of unpredictable weather was positively correlated with increases in Dave’s blood pressure. Dave completed his BSc at Queen's University, and his middle
name is not Lee, though coincidentally he does
play guitar…
Wayne
Hallstrom;
MSc
student,
wayne.hallstrom@ualberta.ca
My current interests are in examining the relative importance of different factors affecting
persistence / extinction of a population. To address this problem I have chosen to work for my
MSc research on butterflies of Garry Oak meadows on the Southern Gulf Islands, in a metapopulation context. Well, it is a beautiful place, and
I am always happy to be able to go each summer, so maybe I was a bit influenced by the
chance to work there as well… Anyway, this
project examines metapopulations of rare butterfly species to determine; 1) the effect of loss
and fragmentation of habitat on butterfly populations, and 2) the effect of degradation of habitat quality of Garry oak meadows due to the invasive weed, Scotch Broom. Identification of
which characteristics of meadows (nectar resource availability, larval host plant abundance,
meadow size / spatial location, and abundance
of Scotch Broom) have the strongest effect on
viability of populations of several different species of butterfly is the goal of this project. These
data were used to adjust for ‘effective habitat
area,’ and to parameterize a predictive metapopulation model. The role of individual meadows,
and their qualities, will be assessed to determine
which meadows play the biggest role in overall
metapopulation persistence, and what is the effect of varying qualities of the available habitat
in each of these meadows. The intensity of the
relationships between a butterfly species and
these variables is different in each case, but sig-
182
nificant results have been found for flowers and
host plants, showing area and spatial location
are not the only important factors, as many metapopulation models assume. The results and method developed will help managers identify the best
locations for restoration, reintroduction, and
conservation purposes, to promote regional persistence of the species of interest. I grew up in
Saskatchewan, but am now from Vancouver Island, and completed my BSc at University of
Victoria before coming to University of Alberta. I plan to complete the MSc in April 2004.
Dana Sjostrom; Laboratory Technician and
Morale Booster
Dana Sjostrom entered the Roland Lab as an
undergraduate field assistant and was quick to
fall in love with crashing through bush finding
caterpillars or hiking to alpine meadows in search
of butterflies. In 2002, she had the opportunity
to develop an undergraduate thesis project examining the effects of density on mating success in populations of the forest tent caterpillar.
She was delighted to find interesting nonlinear
effects of density, and concluded that both low
and high population densities can show reduced
mating success! This decline at high density may
have implications for pheromone trap interpretation, as changes in density may not be accurately reflected in trap catches. Following a replication of the experiment in the summer of 2003
she continues her work on this project.
After completing her degree in Evolutionary
Biology in 2003, Dana continued work in the
Roland Lab as the technician and enthusiastic
field assistant. Keeping busy with the amazing
fieldwork, parasitoid rearing, leaf cutter bee recovery and other odd jobs around the lab ensures entomology will remain an important part
of Dana’s agenda.
Editor’s Note: If you would like to share what
is happening in your laboratory, please contact me. This is good way for potential graduate students to learn about your lab.
By Rob Johns
The Quiring Lab
D
an's lab is located in the New Forestry
Building at the University of New Brunswick Fredericton. Approximately a third
of the graduate students are enrolled in the graduate program of Biology and the others in the
graduate program of the Faculty of Forestry and
Environmental Management. Most of the research
in the lab focuses on the population ecology and
management of forest pests in young regenerating forests, with a strong emphasis on insect plant interactions. There is a high level of involvement in most student projects by colleagues at
the Canadian Forest Service and Agriculture and
Agri-Foods Canada, as both institutions are located close to campus. Due to the collaboration
with the latter federal lab, there are usually several graduate students working on various aspects
of potato pest ecology and management. In addition to researchers at CFS and AAFC, other colleagues at UNB and elsewhere interact with the
lab through their participation in the Population
Ecology Group.
There is plenty of interaction among the graduate students. Much of the initial editing in proposals and papers are conducted internally by people
in the lab. All graduate students are expected to
deliver talks whenever possible. Joint meetings with
the lab of Steve Heard (Biology Department) are
also carried out every week, to help us refine our
ability to critically evaluate scientific papers and to
discuss student projects. To maintain productivity,
Dan invests heavily in Starbuck's coffee and it is
consumed in enormous quantities.
A recreational streak runs through the lab and
various activities such as tennis, squash, occasional computer games and/or soccer may serve as the
outlet through which Dan and his students vent
their research-induced rages in their spare time.
Other useful outlets include relaxing at the new
graduate student pub, located 200 m from the lab,
and pot-luck suppers.
Dan Quiring; quiring@unb.ca, www.unbf.ca/forestry/Faculty/faculty/quiring.htm
Dan obtained a BSc in Biology from Simon Fraser University and a PhD from Laval University.
Although he grew up enjoying the temperate climate of the West Coast, Dan has adjusted well to
life in the Maritimes, where field sites are as close
as the trees in his yard and the forest behind his
house. He enjoys life in a small university town
where living outside the city only requires a 15
minute drive by car or a 50 minute bike ride to
The people in the Quiring lab; Gaétan Moreau, Andrew Morrison, Rob Johns, Natalie
Henneberry and Dan Quiring (from right to left) missing from the photo; Pauwlina
Dexter and Roger Graves.
10
Volume 36(1), March 2004
Profil de labo
reach his office, and where Vice-Presidents will
come in during their holidays to sign documents
for you. When not in his office, lab or field sites,
Dan is often seen driving his numerous daughters
to different events, tasting wine or playing tennis.
Pauwlina
Dexter;
MSc
candidate,
Pauwlina.Dexter@unb.ca
I graduated in 2003 with a BSc in Biochemistry
from the University of New Brunswick, and I have
continued on to pursue a Master's degree in Entomology. I am working with Yvan Pelletier, a research scientist at the Agriculture and Agri-Food
Canada, Potato Research Centre and with the Quiring lab at the University of New Brunswick. I am
investigating the mode of resistance in seven wild
potato species to two aphid potato pests: Myzus
persicae (Sulzer) and Macrosiphum euphorbiae
(Thomas). The Green Peach and Potato aphids are
well-known plant virus vectors and have been
shown to behave differently with respect to host
preference. My research uses behavioural observation to offer inferences as to what the mode of
resistance is for each wild potato species. The objectives of my project are to determine: 1) if the
aphid is responding to defense chemicals produced
by the plant; 2) if the aphid is responding to poor
quality or insufficient nutrients within the phloem
sap; and 3) if the aphids' physiological state has an
impact on their host acceptation threshold.
Roger Graves; MScF candidate
Roger completed a Bachelor's degree in biology
from Dalhousie University in 1991, and, after a 2
year hiatus, moved on to complete a Bachelor's
degree in forestry from UNB in 1997. After working as a consulting Forester for 5 years, and earning certification as a Registered Professional Forester (NB), Roger returned to UNB in 2002 to
begin work on his Master's in Forest Entomology/
Ecology. The focus of his thesis has been on the
relationship between Balsam Fir Sawfly (Neodiprion abietis) and its nucleopolyhedrovirus (NeabNPV). Specifically, he has been studying the pattern of NPV spread in sawfly populations and some
factors that may affect that pattern. Results to date
indicate that NeabNPV spreads readily and rapidly between susceptible hosts; and that spread is not
Volume 36(1), mars, 2004
affected by the quality of foliage - as influenced by
previous defoliation or stand thinning, nor by
changes to larval dispersal behavior, nor by changes
to the egg-lay behavior of adult females. In fact,
NeabNPV may spread over hundreds of metres
through a host population from the point of introduction, with the most likely mechanism being aerial
dispersal of minute quantities of viral innoculum.
During the few, brief moments not devoted to his
thesis, Roger may be found volunteering time with
the local Ground Search and Rescue organization
or soothing thesis frustrations on the squash court
or in Tai Chi class. Recreation studies usually include field studies to elucidate the effects of the
fermentation of barley and hops on graduate student preference and performance at the Graduate
"Conference" facility located in Alden Nowlan
House at UNB.
Natalie Henneberry; MScF candidate
On the heels of a summer of chasing gypsy
moths, Natalie arrived in our lab in September
2003. After finishing her Bachelor of Arts, in biology and linguistics, at UNB Fredericton and dabbling briefly in the world of insect ecology, Natalie
began her work with the balsam fir sawfly (Neodiprion abietis). As an addition to the ongoing
research in western Newfoundland, Natalie will
be working specifically with the species specific
baculovirus, NeabNPV. In short, she will examine
its effects primarily on fecundity, but also on size
and egg viability. NeabNPV's method of transmission and its origin in populations of high and low
density are of further interest in her study.
Rob Johns; PhD candidate, r.c.j@unb.ca
I started my MSc at Dan's lab in 2000, transferred into the PhD program in 2002, and will
graduate later this year.
I'm studying the yellowheaded spruce sawfly,
Pikonema alaskensis, a common defoliator of
young black spruce throughout Eastern Canada.
Larvae feed as early instars on protected inner
shoots of black spruce branches but disperse after
fourth instar to complete development feeding on
exposed apical shoots. I am examining the adaptive value of this foraging behavior and testing
several hypotheses to explain why it has evolved.
11
Lab Profile
Gaétan Moreau
Thus, a significant portion of my work involved
plant-insect interactions in managed and natural
forest stands of western Newfoundland and Cape
Breton.
I just recently moved to the Atlantic Forest Center of the Canadian Forest Service where I have
been granted a postdoc fellowship to work on the
baculovirus of the balsam fir sawfly. Since then,
the level of caffeine in my blood has radically plummeted. However, I have to admit I am going to
miss Dan's lab, a very nice place to both work and
have a good laugh.
Summer student Andrea Sharpe placing newlyemerged balsam fir sawfly larvae on trees in a
spaced (left) stand in western Newfoundland. The
manipulated field study evaluated the influence of
spacing on host plant quality.
Most of my research takes place in central Newfoundland where I've spent the last four summers
enjoying the kind hospitality of Grand Falls-Windsor inhabitants. When not tromping through the
forest I may be found chasing a little white ball
and/or the man carrying it out on the rugby pitch.
Gaétan Moreau; PhD just completed,
gaetan.moreau@unb.ca
I just finished (January 2004) my PhD at Quiring's lab on the population dynamics of the balsam
fir sawfly (Neodiprion abietis). One of the objectives of my study was to determine if intensive
silviculture contributed to the increased severity of
balsam fir sawfly outbreaks in Atlantic Canada.
12
Andrew Morrison; MScF candidate,
Andrew.Morrison@unb.ca
Andrew has a bachelor's degree in Forestry and
Environmental Management from the University
of New Brunswick (1999) and is currently finishing his second year in Dan Quiring's lab. His primary interests are in the interactions of gall midges
and their host plants. He is investigating the preference and performance of an aspen leaf-galler
(Harmandia tremulae) on trembling aspen leaves,
which induces galls on mid or lateral veins on the
bottom of leaves. Preliminary results suggest that
the female midge is not selecting optimal oviposition sites, possibly being constrained in her choice
by short life-span and tree phenology. However,
the larvae appear to choose gall induction sites on
the leaf surface. Larval survivorship appears to be
best in higher densities on smaller leaves, suggesting facilitation amongst the galls.
Andrew grew up all over the place (Canada,
Europe, USA) but now calls Fredericton, New
Brunswick home. When not working on his research he likes to wrestle bears and taunt biker
gangs. Men admire him and women adore him.
Married in August 2003, he now does what he's
told and always puts his laundry in a basket (not
the floor).
Editor’s Note: If you would like to share what is
happening in your laboratory, please contact
me. This is good way for potential graduate students to learn about your lab.
Lab profile / Profil de labo
Le labo de Jacques Brodeur
L
e laboratoire de Jacques Brodeur est situé
au magnifique Pavillon de l'Envirotron,
Centre de recherche en horticulture, sur le
campus de l'Université Laval à Québec. Une
équipe dynamique d'étudiants gradués, de chercheurs post-doctoraux et de professionnels de
recherche s'activent au quotidien à réaliser des
projets de recherche en écologie des insectes et en
lutte biologique. Les thématiques sont diversifiées : relations hôtes-parasitoïdes, interactions
trophiques et intraguildes, écologie saisonnière
des espèces invasives, écologie urbaine, lutte biologique aux ravageurs des cultures. Les travaux
s'articulent autour de plusieurs modèles bi-
ologiques (parasitoïdes de pucerons et de
l'arpenteuse de la pruche ; prédateurs de pucerons
et de mouches blanches ; insectes ravageurs des
cultures serricoles, des petits fruits, des plantations de sapins de Noël et des gazons) et se réalisent au laboratoire, en serre mais de préférence
en milieu naturel.
Jacques
Brodeur;
professeur,
jacques.brodeur@plg.ulaval.ca
J'ai complété un baccalauréat en biologie à
l'Université du Québec à Rimouski, un doctorat
en biologie à l'Université Laval et un stage postdoctoral à l'Université de Wageningen aux PaysBas. Depuis 1992, je suis professeur au Département de phytologie de l'Université Laval. En 2000,
L'équipe du laboratoire de Jacques Brodeur au jardin botanique Roger-Van den Hende. De la gauche
vers la droite : première rangée: Simon Boudreault, Marc Rhainds, Louis Simard; deuxième rangée :
Jacques Brodeur, Annie-Ève Gagnon, Renée Lalancette, Sophie Rochefort, Julie Blais et troisième
rangée : Payse Mailhot et Élisabeth Taschereau.
106
Profil de labo
j'ai savouré une année sabbatique à l'Université
de Californie à Davis. Je suis actuellement directeur du Centre de recherche en horticulture et
membre des regroupements de recherche suivants : Réseau Biocontrôle du Canada, Centre de
recherche en amélioration végétale, Réseau québécois de recherche en phytoprotection. Hors du
laboratoire, j'adore être en famille, jouer et entraîner les touts-petits au hockey, rouler à vélo,
dormir sous la tente, et siroter un café sur une
terrasse.
Simon Boudreault; professionnel de recherche,
Simon.boudrreault@bio.ulaval.ca
En 1999, j'ai obtenu mon baccalauréat en biologie
à l'Université Laval. Mon premier emploi en entomologie a été l'élevage du doryphore de la pomme de terre et de la punaise masquée pour Conrad
Cloutier. J'ai par la suite travaillé dans différents
domaines de la biologie (herpétologie, foresterie,
mycologie…), pour mieux revenir aux "bibittes"
-comme le dit mon garçon. Je partage maintenant
mon temps entre le labo de Jacques où je suis
"l'homme à tout faire" et celui de Conrad. Je
m'occupe principalement du bon fonctionnement
du labo, initie les étudiants à diverses techniques
de recherche et veille à l'harmonie de l'équipe. Je
prends également soin des lézards, coquerelles
de Madagascar, grillons, phasmes, mantes religieuses et autres mascottes du laboratoire. Et si le
temps me le permet, je parasite et dissèque
quelques pucerons.
Renée Lalancette; professionnel de recherche,
reneelalan7@hotmail.com
Récemment détentrice d'un diplôme de maîtrise
en agronomie, je me suis jointe à l'équipe de
Jacques dans le cadre d'un projet qui vise à évaluer des modes de gestions écologiques des pelouses urbaines. Mon rôle dans le projet est de
participer à la production d'un programme de gestion différenciée des pelouses de la Ville de Québec.
Nos objectifs sont principalement de caractériser
les espaces verts et de réduire les surfaces de
tonte. Un autre volet important du projet est de
vérifier les impacts de certains bio-pesticides sur
les insectes ravageurs des gazons, de là mon lien
avec le merveilleux monde de l'entomologie.
Marc Rhainds; chercheur post-doctoral,
fsaamrh@hermes.ulaval.ca
As a PhD student at Simon Fraser University, I
investigated the ecology of tropical insects in Costa
Rica, Indonesia, Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo and
China. I graduated in 1999, and have been working as a post-doc since then at Cornell University,
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Harrow,
and University of Hawaii. I recently came back to
Quebec, and enjoy the opportunity to collaborate
with Jacques on the ecology of soybean aphids.
The major objective of my research is to quantify
the feeding impact of soybean aphids in relation
with the density of aphids, timing of infestation,
incidence of predators, movements of aphids between plants, as well as attributes of host plants
(phenological stage, water stress, density of seedlings). In the long term, I seek permanent employment as a research entomologist, preferably
in Canada.
Julie Blais; étudiante à la maîtrise,
julblais@yahoo.fr
J'ai été amenée à côtoyer les étudiants gradués de
Jacques au cours de mes quatre années de baccalauréat en agronomie à l'Université Laval. Travailler avec les insectes m'a grandement fasciné.
J'ai alors décidé de poursuivre mes études graduées
sous la supervision de Jacques et du Christian
Hébert, Centre de Foresterie des Laurentides.
Depuis les six derniers mois, je m'intéresse particulièrement à l'influence de la température sur le
cycle saisonnier et le parasitisme des œufs de
l'arpenteuse de la pruche, Lamdbina fiscellaria
(Geometridae) par Telenomus coloradensis
(Scelionidae). Mes objectifs sont de (i) caractériser
le statut reproducteur du parasitoïde par l'étude
du développement ovarien, (ii) établir le patron
saisonnier de parasitisme dans différentes régions
du Québec, et (iii) modéliser les réponses thermiques du parasitoïde et de l'hôte.
Mylène Blais; étudiante à la maîtrise,
mylene.blais.1@ulaval.ca
J'ai obtenu un BSc en agronomie à l'Université
Laval et j'ai ensuite travaillé quatre ans comme
agronome. Mon projet de recherche se penche
sur deux ravageurs qui peuvent causer
Volume 36(3), septembre, 2004 Bulletin de la Société d'entomologie du Canada
107
Lab profile
Milène Blais, Marie-Pierre Mignault et Roselyne
Labbé au party de Noël.
L'objectif principal de l'étude est de démontrer
que la toxine Cry1Ab contenue dans le maïs génétiquement modifié (maïs Bt) n'a pas d'impact sur
les insectes non-ciblés en champ, c'est-à-dire, sur
les insectes autres que la pyrale du maïs. L'étude
comprend trois volets; un premier volet en champ
qui s’échelonne sur deux étés (deux essais : StHyacinthe & St- Augustin), un première volet en
champ qui s'échelonne sur 2 étés (2 essais : StHyacinthe & St- Augustin) , un deuxième volet
en serre (étude d'une interaction tritrophique spécifique), et finalement, un troisième volet en laboratoire (protéomique). Au terme de cette étude,
nous espérons apporter quelques réponses aux
nombreuses questions soulevées par les OGM.
d'importants dommages aux fraisières et qui sont
encore mal connus au Québec, voire même au
Canada : le charançon de la racine du fraisier,
Otiorhynchus ovatus et le charançon noir de la
vigne, Otiorhynchus sulcatus. Mes deux objectifs principaux 1) Établir, pour les principales régions productrices de fraises au Québec, le statut
de chacune des deux espèces de charançon 2)
Caractériser la biologie saisonnière du ravageur.
Pour ce dernier objectif j'ai pu, grâce à l'expertise
des chercheurs Richard Trudel et Robert Lavallée
du Centre de foresterie des Laurentides, procéder
à la dissection de plusieurs individus tout au long
de l'été afin d'observer le stade de développement
du système ovarien. Les résultats m'ont permis
d'identifier l'intervalle de temps où la majorité des
adultes ont émergé mais n'ont pas encore initié la
ponte; moment propice pour effectuer un traitement contre les adultes. Et maintenant, dernière
étape de ce long processus, la rédaction.
Anne-Marie Fraser; étudiante à la maîtrise,
anne-marie.fraser.1@ ulaval.ca
Après avoir obtenu mon diplôme de Baccalauréat
en Agronomie, à l'Université Laval, j'ai décidé de
poursuivre mes études et de faire une maîtrise.
J'ai donc entrepris, sous la direction des docteurs
Dominique Michaud et Michèle Roy, une maîtrise en entomologie à l'été 2003. Subventionné
par le Ministère de l'Environnement, mon projet
porte sur les impacts des cultures de maïs transgéniques (maïs Bt) au niveau des insectes.
108
Anne-Marie Fraser au jardin botanique RogerVan den Hende.
Roselyne Labbé; étudiante à la maîtrise,
roselabb@hotmail.com
J'ai obtenu en 2001 un baccalauréat en Écologie
et Évolution à l'University of Western Ontario.
Dans le cadre du Réseau Biocontrôle du Canada,
j'ai initié des études graduées à l'Université Laval
Profil de labo
Marie-Pierre Mignault à la recherche de pucerons du soya.
sous la direction de Jacques et de Conrad Cloutier. Mes travaux de recherche portent sur les interactions intra-guildes entre trois types d'ennemis
naturels de la mouche blanche, Trialeurodes vaporariorum soit le prédateur zoophytophage,
Dicyphus hesperus, le champignon entomopathogène, Beauveria bassiana, et le parasitoïde, Encarsia formosa. Un premier objectif était
d'évaluer la capacité discriminatoire du prédateur
envers des proies infectées ou parasitées. Le second objectif réalisé en collaboration avec le Dave
Gillespie, Agriculture and Agroalimentaire Canada, Agassiz, consistait à caractériser en serre les
interactions entre les agents biologiques et leur
impact sur les populations de mouches blanches.
Je termine actuellement la rédaction de mon mémoire et travaille à l'Institut de recherche en biologie végétale de Montréal.
pour la première fois en Amérique du Nord en
2000. Le premier objectif de ma recherche visait à
caractériser en 2002 et 2003 la distribution spatiale du ravageur, quantifier les fluctuations de
ses populations à travers le Québec et évaluer la
diversité des prédateurs foliaires associés au
puceron du soya. Le deuxième volet consistait à
évaluer, en laboratoire, les capacités de développement et de reproduction sur le puceron du soya
des trois espèces de coccinelles les plus fréquemment observées dans les champs de soya: la coccinelle asiatique, Harmonia axyridis, la coccinelle
maculée, Coleomegilla maculata, et la coccinelle
à 14 points, Propylea quatuordecimpunctata. J'en
suis présentement à l'étape de la rédaction de mon
mémoire. Je suis désormais établie dans la région
de Montréal où je travaille au développement de
la lutte biologique au Biodôme.
Marie-Pierre Mignault; étudiante à la maîtrise,
marie-pierre.mignault.1@ulaval.ca
Suite à l'obtention d'un baccalauréat en agronomie à l'Université Laval, j'ai entrepris au
printemps 2001 un projet de maîtrise en deux
volets sur le puceron du soya, Aphis glycines,
une espèce d'origine asiatique qui a été observée
Payse Mailhot; étudiante à la maîtrise,
payse.mailhot.1@ulaval.ca
Je suis biologiste, diplômée de l'Université de
Sherbrooke. Dans le cadre de ma maîtrise, j'étudie
les interactions entre la cécidomyie du sapin
(Paradiplosis tumifex) un insecte galligène et ses
ennemis naturels. Le diptère P. tumifex provoque
109
Lab profile
la formation d'une galle sur les aiguilles du sapin
et leur chute prématurée. Les objectifs de ma recherche sont de déterminer la phénologie saisonnière de la galle et d'identifier les mécanismes de
régulation des populations de P. tumifex. Avec
l'aide de Conrad Cloutier (co-directeur et professeur au Département de biologie) et de son équipe,
j'ai suivi la progression des galles de sapin dans
une plantation, de leur formation à la chute des
aiguilles. En disséquant les galles, nous avons
observé le contenu de chacune d'entre-elles. Ces
informations nous permettront de mieux comprendre les interactions entre les parasitoïdes, une espèce inquiline et la cécidomyie du sapin et leurs
conséquences sur la dynamique des populations
des espèces. L'étude visait également à identifier
la communauté de parasitoïdes associée aux cécidomyies galligène et inquiline.
Sophie Rochefort; étudiante au doctorat,
sophie.rochefort@crh.ulaval.ca
Après huit années sur le marché du travail, j'ai
effectué un retour aux études afin d'approfondir
mes connaissances en recherche, en particulier
dans le secteur de l'écologie urbaine. L'expertise
que j'ai développé ces dernières années dans ce
domaine a guidé mon choix vers un projet de
doctorat qui aborde deux aspects de l'entretien
des surfaces gazonnées. Le premier aspect porte
sur l'impact de différents types d'entretien de pelouses sur l'abondance et la diversité des arthropodes et des mauvaises herbes, ainsi que sur la
qualité des surfaces gazonnées. Parmi les types
de traitements évalués, il y a entre autres un entretien dit 'écologique' où seules des méthodes alternatives aux pesticides sont utilisées pour lutter
contre les organismes nuisibles. Le deuxième aspect de mon projet évalue l'effet des graminées
endophytiques sur les populations de la punaise
velue, Blissus leucopterus hirtus, et de l'anneleur
de la canneberge, Chrysoteuchia topiaria. Les
endophytes sont des champignons symbiotiques
qui procurent à la plante une protection contre les
insectes phytophages en produisant des substances toxiques ou répulsives.
Louis Simard; étudiant au doctorat,
simardl@hotmail.com
I received a BSc in biology from University of
Sherbrooke in 1998 and a Bsc in agronomy from
Laval in 2004. I also completed my MSc in nematology at Laval University, Québec, in 2001. I am
now writing a PhD thesis on the seasonal ecology of insect pests and the development of integrated pest management on golf courses. Specifically, I have studied various aspects of the
population dynamics of the black cutworm, the
black turfgrass ataenius, and the annual bluegrass
weevil, three major insect pests on golf courses
in Quebec. During my graduate studies, I had the
opportunity to spend one year at the University
of Guelph in Julie Dionne's lab and three months
at the University of Arizona in Yves Carrière's
lab. I am currently working part time as research
assistant at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu in nematology. I am also
visiting golf courses across Québec this summer
as the coordinator of the Coalition for Responsible Golf, an environmental and research program
for golf courses in Québec.
Sophie Rochefort au travail.
110
Profil de labo
Élisabeth Taschereau; étudiante à la maîtrise,
elisabeth.taschereau.1@ulaval.ca
Suite à l'obtention d'un Baccalauréat en biologie
de l'Université de Sherbrooke, j'ai entrepris une
maîtrise en entomologie sous la direction de
Jacques et de Julie Dionne, Royal Canadian Golf
Association. J'en suis déjà à ma deuxième saison
d'échantillonnage. Je travaille sur la tipule européenne, Tipula paludosa (pour les intimes), un
insecte qui cause des dommages aux graminées à
gazon en Colombie Britannique, en Ontario et
dans les maritimes. Il a fait son apparition au
Québec au début du nouveau siècle. En plus de se
nourrir du feuillage et des racines des graminées
à gazon, les larves ont la malencontreuse manie
de se retrouver sur la trajectoire des balles de golf
au grand dam des adeptes de ce sport.
J'échantillonne sur quatre terrains de golf de la
région de Québec à mes risques et périls afin
d'identifier le complexe d'espèces de Tipulidae,
de caractériser le cycle saisonnier de la tipule européenne, de connaître sa distribution sur le terrain et d'identifier les paramètres biotiques et abiotiques qui favorisent le développement des
populations. Ces informations permettront
l'élaboration d'une stratégie de gestion des populations de la tipule européenne de façon à réduire
les applications d'insecticides.
prédateurs du puceron du soya, un nouveau ravageur en Amérique du Nord. J'entreprends cet été
un échantillonnage des prédateurs au sol et foliaires. Je me pencherai plus particulièrement sur
les interactions intraguildes entre plusieurs espèces de coccinelles prédatrices. Je procéderai à
des analyses moléculaires du contenu gastrique
des coccinelles afin de déterminer la présence de
la prédation intraguilde dans les champs de soya.
Des études au champ seront aussi réalisées l'année
prochaine, à l'aide de cages d'exclusions.
Un dragon d'Élisabeth (un derrière de larve de
tipule!).
Annie-Ève Thibodeau Gagnon; étudiante à la
maîtrise,annie-eve.thibodeaugagnon.1@ulaval.ca
Ayant terminé une technique en aménagement de
la faune, j'ai décidé de parfaire mes connaissances en complétant un Baccalauréat en Biologie à
l'UQÀM. Durant ces années, j'ai eu la chance de
travailler dans le laboratoire de Daniel Coderre et
Éric Lucas. Ma passion pour les insectes s'est
alors concrétisée. Pour ma troisième année de
baccalauréat, je me suis déplacée à Québec pour
suivre des cours d'entomologie à l'Université
Laval. J'ai pu connaître le laboratoire de Jacques
Brodeur. C'est donc en mai dernier que j'ai commencé une maîtrise avec Jacques comme directeur et George Heimpel de l'Université du Minnesota en co-direction. Mon sujet porte sur les
111
Department of Entomology,
University of Manitoba
T
L. Babey
he Department of Entomology at the University of Manitoba was established in
1921. For its first 30 years its teaching
was primarily focussed on undergraduate degree
and diploma students in the University's Faculty
of Agriculture. The first MSc student graduated
in 1951 and the first PhD in 1962. The shift in
emphasis towards graduate education has continued to this day. In 1996, the Department ceased to
offer an undergraduate major in entomology, although it continues to offer seven undergraduate
entomology courses and two courses for agriculture diploma students. Currently, the Department
has 16 MSc students and five PhD students, and
offers seven scheduled graduate courses and a
number of topics courses to cater to these students' academic needs. Graduate students are required to take a course that trains them in scientific writing, literature searching techniques and
seminar presentation.
Former graduates of the Department are to be
found in faculty positions at several Canadian
and US universities as well as locations as farflung as Thailand and Sri Lanka. Other graduates
occupy many research, technical and regulatory
positions with the Federal government, and extension positions with a number of provincial
governments across Canada. Virtually all of our
18 graduates of the last five years are continuing
careers in entomology or biology, with a number
in post-doctoral positions or PhD programs, and
several already established in permanent research
or extension positions.
Departmental Christmas party 2003. Back row (left to right): Mark Lowdon, Kristin Yaworski, Kathleen
Ryan, Teran Fenwick, Mike Fuentespina, Lisa Baspaly, Robyn Underwood, Lisa Capar, Susan
Funk, Sharon Suerowiec, Rob Currie; Next row: Sandy Holder, David Holder, Hema, Sandhya
Hemachandra, Sajida Sharmeen, Jashim Uddin, Scott McMahon, Tonya Mousseau, Neil Holliday,
Todd Underwood, Christie Borkowsky, Terry Galloway, Rob Roughley, Lisa Baker, Darlene McEvoy;
Next row: Shashika Hemachandra, Terri Baker, Mitchell Graham, Preston Graham, Carol Galloway,
Margaret Ann Baker, Germaine Léger, Kate Roughley; Next row (sitting): Ariel Patio with daughter
Leira, Drew Holder, Bob Lamb with Carolyn Currie, Desirée Vanderwel with Samantha Currie, Pat
MacKay, Lynda Holliday, Kathy Graham, Front row: Lisa Babey, Dalila Seckar, Kim Riley
158
Profil de labo
The entomological community in Manitoba is
highly concentrated in Winnipeg and environs.
On the campus of the University, entomologists
are to be found at the Cereal Research Centre of
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Freshwater Institute of the Department of Fisheries and
Oceans Canada, and the apiculture section of
Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives.
Within the City, the University of Winnipeg,
Manitoba Conservation, the City of Winnipeg,
the Canadian Grain Commission and the Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health
are also locations of entomological activity. Slightly further afield are Brandon University and the
agricultural insect control specialists with the
Manitoba government. These organizations between them house about 25 individuals engaged
in professional entomological activity. Added to
these are consultants, private business people and
retirees who have entomological interests that
bring them into frequent contact with the Department. The interactions between these people and
the Department benefit the Department enormously. Many of the individuals are frequent visitors
to the Department, or are encountered at functions of the Entomological Society of Manitoba,
and so our graduate students have great opportunities to find out about "real-life" entomology, to
develop contacts, and to take short-term contracts
to enrich themselves scientifically, experientially
and financially.
The Department has more formalized links with
a number of scientists in the Winnipeg area
through the mechanism of adjunct professorships.
Adjunct professors may supervise their own graduate students or may participate in advisory committees. Currently the Department has four adjunct professors at the Cereal Research Centre,
three at the Freshwater Institute, three at the University of Winnipeg and one at the Centre for
Human and Animal Health. A further four adjuncts professors are located in Vancouver, Saskatoon, Ottawa and Switzerland. These fifteen
individuals are enormously important in augmenting the supervisory efforts of the four full time
faculty members of the Department. The adjuncts,
together with our senior scholar, allow us to diversify the range of our graduate education offer-
ings, so that students can do research in topics
ranging from crop protection entomology to aquatic systems ecology and from forensic entomology to forest ecology.
The Department has a close relationship with
the Entomological Society of Manitoba. The Society publishes a journal, has several social events
each year, and holds its annual scientific meeting
within a few steps of the Department's doors.
That meeting draws virtually all the active entomologists from Manitoba, together with some
from North Dakota and our neighbouring provinces, and so provides an excellent opportunity
for sharing results, networking and socializing
with like-minded people. Virtually all of our students make oral or poster presentations at the annual meeting; making one's first presentation at a
real scientific conference, but among predominantly familiar and friendly faces is a good confidence booster. Graduate students, and some undergraduates taking entomology courses, are an
important part of the Society. Students frequently
hold office on the Society executive committee,
or are chairs of some of the committees that do
the work of the Society. In particular, graduate
students are heavily involved in the Youth Encouragement Committee of the Society.
At least the last three chairpeople of the Society's Youth Encouragement Committee have been
graduate students in the Department, and it is virtually impossible to distinguish where the Society's Youth Encouragement activities end and the
Department's public education role begins. The
Department houses many of the resources that
are used in these activities, but some of the budget is from the Society, and some members of the
Society who are not directly connected with the
Department are participants. Youth encouragement
activities involve presentations on-campus and
off-campus to school classes, daycare groups,
and youth groups of various sorts including girl
guides and boy scouts. A great collection of resources have been gathered for these purposes.
Among these are live arthropods, including stick
insects, several species of cockroaches, tarantulas, lubber grasshoppers and more. Then there
are the pinned specimens, including a representative collection of Manitoba insects, and "The
Volume 36(4), décembre, 2004 Bulletin de la Société d'entomologie du Canada
159
Lab profile
Rob Currie
Rob Currie is the most recent in a line of apicultural researchers in the Department, a line that
traces back through Cam Jay to the founder of the
Department, A.V. Mitchener. These individuals
have built up the campus apicultural facilities to
include a honey house and apiary yard, a controlled temperature overwintering building, and a
sophisticated bee flight room in which bee behaviour can be studied in controlled conditions.
Rob teaches a course in economic entomology
for diploma students, a practical beekeeping
course that can be taken by diploma students or
the general public, and courses in pollination biology. Rob is perhaps the most absent minded
and accident-prone of the members of the Department, and this seems to infect his students
too, some of whom have been known to cause
major flooding in the building. Rob's most recent
escapade was to lay the world's longest sugar
syrup trail along a couple of hundred kilometers
of Manitoba highways. Currently Rob has two
students, Robyn Underwood and Paul Kozac.
Robyn's PhD thesis work focuses on using formic acid indoors in winter to control varroa mites
(Varroa destructor) infesting honey bee colonies.
The mites are ectoparasites which can cause colony death within 3–4 years of initial infestation.
One method of control is to use formic acid, which
is generally applied to individual colonies outdoors. Using this fumigant indoors allows more
control over ambient conditions and, thus, over
the concentration and duration of fumigation. In
R. Underwood
Wowee Box", so called because its irridescent
morphos and gigantic phasmids, owl moths and
rhinoceros beetles, never fail to elicit a "Wowee!"
from at least one member of a juvenile audience.
The Committee has developed a series of agespecific interactive games and activities designed
to entertain while teaching some basic elements
of insect biology. From September- April, youth
encouragement events occur about once per week,
and most graduate students participate frequently. The biggest events of the year are participation
in "Amazing Grains", which involves groups of
school students of about grades 4–6, who spend
half hour sessions at each of five entomological
stations where they can learn about insect anatomy, stored products insects, bee biology, etc. In
the course of one of these events, as many as
1200 school children will gain some contact with
entomology. While youth encouragement events
can be very demanding of time, the enthusiastic
participation of the graduate students indicates
that the benefits in terms of contact with young
people and honing of presentation skills are considered very worthwhile.
The Department of Entomology is heavily involved in extension activities. In this, it works
closely with the entomological specialists of Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives. From
May to August, the Department operates a "Bug
Line", for which a student is hired to deal with
many of the routine calls from urban and rural
people wanting information about insects or their
control. For the rest of the year, these types of
calls are fielded by volunteers from among the
graduate students. The students suggested this
approach, as it provides them with experience in
dealing with the public on practical entomological issues.
The core academic members of the Department
of Entomology are the faculty members, Rob
Currie, Terry Galloway, Neil Holliday and Rob
Roughley. In addition, Pat MacKay is often in the
Department in her capacity as senior scholar. We
have two technicians, David Holder and Lisa
Babey, and a number of office staff who attempt
to keep us administered.
Honey bee drinking water
160
Profil de labo
Terry Galloway
Terry Galloway is a multi-faceted individual.
To the agricultural community of Manitoba he is
the only livestock entomologist they know. To
many, he is an aquatic entomologist or a mosquito biologist, but to others he is a world authority
on arthropod ectoparasites of vertebrates, in particular lice and fleas. To yet others, he is known
for his passion for penny whistle music, and for
appearing as an aged tramp on Halloween, playing a bodhran drum and threatening "trick or beer."
Terry has an enormous knowledge of insect biology, and is a consummate story teller, which is
perhaps why he is also a star teacher. Periodically
he disappears to New Zealand where he hunts
penguin lice. A recent departure from Terry's laboratory is Mahmood Iranpour, who completed a
PhD on egg parasitioids of tabanids, which involved a molecular biological approach to identification of egg masses. Mahmood is now a postdoctoral fellow at the Canadian Science Centre
for Human and Animal Health but maintains
strong links with the Department through an honourary academic appointment. Terry has three MSc
students, Ginger Gill, Stacie Stiege and Andrea
Thomson. Ginger is close to defending her thesis
on forensic entomology: her research involved
putting pig carcases out in selected parts of Manitoba and recording the insect colonists. Stacie is
close to completion of a project involving caddis
fly biology and appropriate measures to prevent
hydroelectric generating stations suffering mass
invasions of caddis fly adults. Andrea is beginning her degree program, which involves the utilization of catch basins by mosquitoes with the
capability to vector West Nile Virus. Terry also
has a great deal to do with two other students
T. Galloway
addition, fumigating in the winter allows the exploitation of the pause in honey bee reproduction
that forces the mites onto adult bees where they
cannot escape treatment. Robyn's work has shown
that this technique can be successful and the bees
kept healthy if the proper dose is applied. Paul
Kozak has just begun work on his MSc in Rob's
laboratory, and will also be working on varroa
management, particularly how mite control is affected by manipulating environmental factors.
The chewing louse, Austromenopon
scopulacorne from a bird, Sora, Porzana carolina.
working on entomological aspects of West Nile
Virus. Scott McMahon is an MSc student cosupervised by Rob Anderson (University of Winnipeg) and Terry in a study of mosquitoes breeding in used tire dumps. Lisa Baspaly, formerly an
MSc student under Terry's supervision, is now
doing a PhD with Robbin Lindsay (Centre for
Human and Animal Health) on the vector competence of Canadian mosquitoes to transmit West
Nile Virus. Lisa retains territorial rights in Terry's
laboratory as her mosquito colonies are nearby.
Terry's diverse interests place him on numerous
graduate student advisory committees. He serves
on the committee of Scott Derham, another of
Rob Anderson's students, who also works on
mosquitoes as disease vectors. Wearing his aquatic
entomology hat, Terry serves on the committees
of two students with supervisors in the Freshwater Institute: Dalila Seckar (supervised by Michael
Paterson) and Rebecca Rooney (Cheryl Podemski). Most of our students in the Freshwater Institute do their field research at the Experimental
Lakes Area, where large scale manipulations of
161
Lab profile
Neil Holliday
Neil Holliday is the Department's crop protection entomologist and insect ecologist. He is also
Department Head. Most of his undergraduate
teaching deals with general ecology or agroecology; but he also teaches insect ecology and insect
population management. Neil tends to zip around
the Department at high speed, which can be hazardous to those in his path. As the writer of this
article, Neil thought it best to ask others what his
peculiarities are considered to be. Disappointingly, the only response —from Terry Galloway—
was a fondness for quantitative or statistical approaches, which Terry considers to be peculiar in
an entomologist! Neil has six graduate students
at the moment. Three are MSc students working
on aspects of cabbage root maggot management
in canola; these are Amy Hawkins-Bowman, Kim
Riley and Lars Andreassen. Amy is nearing completion of a study of the effect of agronomic practices on maggot infestation. Kim and Lars are
working on different aspects of Aleochara bipustulata, a staphylinid parasitoid being investigated for biological control of cabbage root maggot. Kim and Lars represent the latest two in a
string of students who do much of their field
research at the CABI Bioscience Centre, Delémont, Switzerland, where their local supervisor
is Ulli Kuhlmann. Students in this collaboration
spend 4–5 months per year in Switzerland, and
spend the winter months in Winnipeg doing laboratory studies, course work and analysis. Two
other students working on crop protection projects
in Neil's laboratory are Jashim Uddin, who is
nearing completion of a PhD on population ecology of pests of seed alfalfa production, and Ayman Mostafa. Ayman was faced with the challenge of working out the economic effects of late
season populations of lygus bugs on seed alfalfa
and buckwheat, and has reached greatly different
conclusions for these two crops. The final student in Neil's laboratory is Kathleen Ryan, who
162
K. Riley
freshwater ecosystems can be performed. Rebecca is working on the benthic invertebrate component of such a project, which is a whole ecosystem assessment of the effects of fish farming on
freshwater lakes.
The staphylinid Aleochara bipustulata , which
may have potential as a biological control agent
of cabbage root maggot.
is co-supervised with Richard Westwood of the
University of Winnipeg. Her project addresses
the effects of plantation forestry on communities
of carabid beetles and butterflies, and tests the
validity of different experimental designs for addressing these questions.
Pat Mackay
Pat MacKay retired in 2001, but is usually in
the Department for two days each week. She probably does more science in those two days than
she was able to achieve in the full pre-retirement
weeks when teaching and administration intervened. Pat remains a great supporter of the Department and a resource for graduate students on
insect physiological matters and aphids. Most of
the time she does not gloat too much about the
freedom that retirement brings; mercifully the
gloating is not evident when the rest of the faculty
are submerged in teaching, marking etc. Pat is an
aphid person. With her husband, Bob Lamb, she
is studying population dynamics of Uroleucon,
which provides the perfect excuse to disappear
on sampling trips to western Manitoba's Riding
Mountain National Park.
Rob Roughley
Rob Roughley is the systematist of the Department and teaches courses in taxonomy and morphology as well as in crop protection. Rob is not
renowned for the quietness of his voice, hence
the epithet "boomer", which is sometimes applied
Profil de labo
fended his thesis, which is on dytiscid communities in ponds arranged along an east-west transect
across Manitoba from the Ontario border to Saskatchewan. Michael was most enthusiastic about
the sampling of ponds because it allowed him to
indulge his passion for fishing. New to the laboratory is Anita Stjernberg, whose project will involve studies of the effects of seasonal grazing
on spider and carabid diversity in mixed-grass
prairie.
Richard Westwood
The largest concentration of graduate students
outside the Department walls is in Richard Westwood's laboratory at the University of Winnipeg.
The laboratory is a component of the Centre for
Forest Interdisciplinary Studies (C-FIR), which
is involved in a broad range of approaches to
research, education and training that focuses on
the sustainability and protection of the Manitoba's forest resource. Before joining the University of Winnipeg, Richard was with the Provincial
Forestry Branch, and before that was a research
scientist with Rohm and Haas Inc. Richard's favourite insect group are the Lepidoptera, and he
R. Underwood
to him. Rob's "pet" group of insects is the dytiscid diving beetles, a group that he has pursued in
lakes and rivers from the Arctic to Costa Rica and
from Europe to China. Rob also does research on
arthropod biodiversity in prairie ecosystems, and
how prairie insects are influenced by prairie conservation techniques such as prescribed burning.
Rob has spent a considerable amount of time at
INBIO in Costa Rica, and in recent summers has
also instructed in a Boreal and Arctic Entomology Course offered at Churchill, Manitoba. Rob is
the curator of the J.B. Wallis Museum of Entomology, which houses the Department's collection of insects, numbering perhaps two million.
Rob was successful in getting Canada Foundation for Innovation funds for initiating an electronic data base of the specimens in the museum,
funds which also allowed for doubling the museum's capacity through installation of a state-ofthe-art storage system. Rob's graduate student
team is currently in transition: Tonya Mousseau
has just defended her thesis on the systematics
and biology of the haliplid genus, Brychius, and
is about to embark on a PhD at the University of
Calgary. Michael Alperyn has also recently de-
Peter Kevan (left) and Rob Roughley sampling near Churchill, MB.
163
Lab profile
Graduate Student Association
A relatively recent appearance on the scene is a
formal organization of the graduate students of
into the Department of Entomology Graduate Students Association. DEGSA has regular meetings,
and raises funds through summer barbecues, Tshirt sales and similar activities. Moneys are used
to maintain the insects that are used in youth encouragement activities and to buy equipment and
supplies to benefit the students. Among DEGSA's activities is "The Dead Scientists' Society",
a discussion group that meets periodically to critique papers and to stage rehearsals of student
seminars and papers. A distinguishing feature of
the Dead Scientists is that faculty members and
other scary people are excluded from their meetings.
All academic departments have their traditions,
and the Department of Entomology is no exception. "Last Friday of the Month", is an occasion
when all members of the Department head to a
local hostelry for conversation and libation at the
E. Westwood
has co-authored a book on the Butterflies of Manitoba, and is working on a volume on moths. Two
recent graduates from Richards laboratory are
MSc students Diana Saunders and Lisa Capar.
Diana examined the effects of the insecticide Mimic® on non-target forest Lepidoptera. Lisa's project
examined the influence of forest harvesting on
diversity and composition of carabid beetle communities in black spruce forest. Another MSc student, Jeff Shaddock, has a similar type of project
on insect communities in aspen stands. The group
of insect biodiversity studies is rounded out with
that of Kathleen Ryan, who was previously mentioned as she is co-supervised by Neil Holliday.
Not all Richard's students study forest insects.
For her MSc, Christie Borkowski is examining
the role of sphingid moths in pollination of the
endangered western prairie fringed orchid, and is
experimenting with ways of enhancing pollination success. Some of Richard's students do not
work on insects at all, as Richard also has graduate students registered in the Department of Botany at the University of Manitoba.
The Westwood lab. vintage 2003. Back row (left to right): Kevin Kembal (Botany PhD student), Matt
McBurney (summer student), Richard Westwood, Rachel Haverluck (recent MSc graduate), Neil
Holliday, Kathleen Ryan, Rachel Vancaeseele (technician), Christie Borkowsky, Lisa Capar; Front
row: Jackie Legal, Kerri LaFrance, Debra Wytrykush (summer students), Diana Saunders, Karen
Budnick (summer student).
164
Profil de labo
first recipient, "remember to unplug this kettle to
avoid it boiling dry". Since the first award, it has
been awarded in most years to a member of the
department who, in the opinion of the somewhat
impartial judging committee, has achieved the largest "oops" of the year. Among the "oops" that
have recognized are floods, apparent fires, experimentations on the pendulum properties of gates,
and of course, the aforementioned "world's longest sugar syrup trail". Strangely enough, most of
these achievements are the work of a single individual, who will remain anonymous.
The Department is a vigorous unit, set at the
crossroads of Canada. Next time you fly over
Manitoba, consider a stopover to see us. We welcome visitors to view our facilities, to meet with
us and our students, and maybe to give us a seminar. If your plans include a visit to Winnipeg, let
us know in advance, and we will happily make
arrangements for a seminar and expose you to
some Manitoba hospitality in exchange. We are
always on the lookout for graduate students. If
you would like to know more about us, go to our
website at www.umanitoba.ca/afs/entomology or
email to head_entomo@umanitoba.ca.
Lisa Babey
expense of the faculty members. Another focus
of tradition is the Christmas party, which is a
"pot-luck" affair to which everyone from the janitors right down to the Dean of the Faculty are
invited. The students take the lead role in organizing a secret gift exchange and entertainment. Gifts
are usually highly innovative, and very occasionally useful. Entertainment has included speaking
competitions in which faculty members and students compete to see who can best present a five
minute talk on a topic of their choosing, using
slides they have never seen before. Participants
get very competitive, and judging is a difficult
business. This possible source of discontent can
be removed if non-human judges are used. In a
recent competition, teams had to build living quarters for cockroaches. The constructions were then
placed in a circle and a cockroach released in the
middle to make its choice of the winner. The winning team knew of the planned judging technique,
and had thoughtfully dipped their cockroach
house in beer before presenting it for judging. A
feature of the Christmas party is the presentation
of the "Oops Did I Do That?" award. The award
is in the form of a melted down kettle, on the top
of which is clearly visible, in the writing of the
The Department of Entomology “Oops!! Did I do that?” award.
165
The Lab of Peggy Dixon
T
Peggy Dixon, Research Scientist
BSc (Memorial University), PhD (University of
Edinburgh), dixonpl@agr.gc.ca
Peggy is from Baie Verte, Newfoundland and
received a BSc in Biology from Memorial University and a PhD in Entomology from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. She is an active
member of the ESC and is currently 2nd VicePresident. Peggy has been a Research Scientist
with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada since
1988, and her primary focus is on pests, parasitoids and predators in vegetables and small fruits.
She has a particular fondness for carabid beetles,
which fits in well with her interest in habitat diversification and its impact on insects. Through
her association with Memorial University, Peggy
enjoys supervising graduate students and teaching courses. Although with two small children
there isn't a great deal of spare time, Peggy also
likes to sing, stepdance and read science fiction.
Andrea White
he Dixon entomology lab is situated in the
Atlantic Cool Climate Crop Research Centre of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Actually, it is two labs, with Peggy and Janet located
in the main building and the students in an annex.
We didn't deliberately try to segregate the students, but they have a lot more space there and are
able to play loud music while they sort through
samples or pin parasitoids. Our philosophy is
that research should be fun! The insect fauna of
Newfoundland and Labrador has some unique
attributes - just like the place itself. We have a
high proportion of introduced European species,
for some of whom this is the only place in North
America where they occur. We are the only entomology laboratory doing agricultural research in
the province, which means that our projects are
often varied. One obvious fact - currently we have
an all-female lab, rather like some insect species
in which males are occasional or rare. Despite
our biased sex ratio, as you will see below, we
study various aspects of insects on vegetables,
berries, turf, trees and even rare and endangered
plants. It is a bonus that we can do this while
living in such a dynamic and beautiful place.
Most of the gang at a working lunch at India Gate Restaurant (left to right; Susan Tilley, Peggy Dixon,
Carolyn Parsons, Robyn Auld, Janet Coombes, Heidi Fry and Nancy Hudson).
24
Profil de labo
Robyn Auld, graduate student
BSc (University of Ottawa), MSc candidate (Memorial University), robynauld@yahoo.ca
I received a BSc Environmental Science with a
concentration in biodiversity and conservation
from the University of Ottawa. Through the cooperative education program I began working for
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at the Eastern
Cereal and Oilseed Research Centre in Ottawa,
where I assisted with research in soil physics.
My honours project involved mapping the distribution of E. coli in relation to soil environmental
gradients following manure injection. I am currently working towards an MSc in Environmental Science at Memorial University of Newfoundland. The objective of my research now is to
uncover the life history of the chinch bug (Blissus leucopterus hirtus) within the northern limits
Volume 37(1) mars, 2005
of its distribution range and to explore environmental factors which may be affecting populations dynamics of this turf pest.
Aisha Elmelwi, graduate student
BSc (University of Tripoli), MSc (University of
Tripoli), PhD candidate (Memorial University),
elmelwi@hotmail.com
Aisha is an international graduate student, originally from Libya. She is a PhD student at Memorial University under the co-supervision of
Peggy Dixon and David Larson. The overall focus of Aisha's research is to investigate the factors which allow co-existence of two closely-related insect species competing for resources. Her
test species are two introduced, host-specific sawflies, Nematus ribesii and Pristiphora pallipes,
herbivores on Ribes spp (gooseberries and currants). Aisha showed that timing of spring emergence differed between the two species and that
feeding sites on the plant were segregated. Egg
cannibalism also had a role in allowing the species to co-exist. Prior to starting her PhD work,
Aisha taught entomology in a research/teaching
lab in Libya. Although she has adapted to the
decidedly cooler climate of St. John's she is looking forward to returning to Libya with her husband and young daughter after completion of her
thesis.
Carolyn Parsons
Janet Coombes, Entomology Technician
Dipl. Plant Science (NSAC), coombesj@agr.gc.ca
After 21 years as plant pathology technician at
the St. John's Research Centre, Janet "morphed"
into the Entomology technician in 1997. This was
an opportunity to come full-circle, as Janet had
started her career with Agriculture and Agri-Food
Canada as a summer student with Ray Morris
and later worked with him in the preparation of
his book, Butterflies and moths of Newfoundland
and Labrador: The Macrolepidoptera. In her
most recent incarnation, Janet has worked on a
survey of weevils and weevil damage in red clover, on a variety of projects related to Delia radicum emergence, parasitism and control, on the
occurrence of Rhagoletis spp. on native fruit trees,
and on collection maintenance and other projects
on an ad hoc basis. Her current challenge is to
investigate the genetic variability of D. radicum
within Newfoundland. Besides trying to play
Peggy's "Man Friday", she assists Peggy's graduate students by providing logistical support to
students with their projects. Janet holds a Diploma of Plant Science at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College. She is also an accomplished musician - she writes songs, plays the harp and has a
great voice - and mom to Julia, Laura and Tom.
Robyn Auld, Masters student, in the lab filtering
samples for chinch bugs.
25
Lab profile
Nancy Hudson, Research Technician (industry
collaborator)
BA (University of York), Horticulture Journeyman (Ontario), nancyhudson@nf.sympatico.ca
My primary research objective is to produce,
in collaboration with industry and government, a
relatively simple non-chemical control device,
which can be used by industry to effectively manage the chinch bug. More specifically, I am quantifying the effectiveness of vacuuming in reducing chinch bug populations within the landscape
environment. Concurrent with the vacuum study
is the experimental incorporation of endophyticenhanced fescue (as patches of sod) into landscape environments to observe chinch bug activity and to compare relative likenesses and
differences with the surrounding non-endophytic
grasses as relating to common cultural and environmental stress factors.
26
I graduated from York University with a BA in
Sociology, and immediately commenced a dedication to self-study and employment in the field
of landscape horticulture, where I acquired a Journeyman Trade in Horticulture, in Ontario. I then
focused my sights on woody ornamentals and
integrated pest management, which lead to a leap
of faith and an exciting 10 years of work and
intensive learning in the U.S.A. In 2002, I returned to Canada and settled in Newfoundland;
after the shock, I was fortunate to meet and eventually work in cooperation with some very interesting, warm and insightful people at Agriculture
and Agri-Food Canada.
Carolyn K. Parsons, graduate student
BSc (Agr.) (NSAC), PhD candidate (Memorial
University), parsonsc@agr.gc.ca
I obtained my undergraduate degree in Plant
Science and Pest Management from the Nova
Scotia Agricultural College in 2000 where I focussed much of my studies on varying aspects of
organic/sustainable vegetable production. I am
thankful for the opportunity to return to my home
province of Newfoundland and Labrador to continue studies in this area and work with Peggy
Dixon. I am in the process of writing up my thesis on agro-ecosystem diversification and the cabbage maggot (Delia radicum). My project investigated the use of different plant species as possible
Heidi Fry
Heidi Fry, undergraduate student
BSc Hon. student (Memorial University),
heidi_fry@hotmail.com
I am currently an undergraduate student at
Memorial University of Newfoundland and will
be graduating this spring with my BSc (Hons.) in
Entomology and Parasitology. This past November I defended my thesis which reported a study
of the elm spanworm, Ennomos subsignaria. This
geometrid has defoliated species of hardwood trees
at outbreak intensity in St. John's for the past four
summers. The main objective for this study was
to determine if there were egg parasitoids of the
elm spanworm in St. John's. No egg parasitoids
were recovered. However, pupal parasitoids were
recovered with two species being recorded for
the first time as parasitoids of the elm spanworm
and one of these species being recorded for the
first time in Newfoundland. As well as having
Peggy as my honours supervisor, I have also had
the opportunity to work in her lab as a summer
student for the past two summers where the atmosphere is both educational and exciting! Along
with finishing course work for my undergraduate degree, this semester I am also considering
options for an MSc.
Carolyn Parsons tending to her relay cropping
plots, in St. John’s NL.
Profil de labo
Susan Tilley, graduate student
BSc Hon., PhD candidate (Memorial University), stilley@mun.ca
In 2003, I completed my honours thesis, the
purpose of which was to determine if unoccupied
sites were important in the definition of critical
Braya longii (endangered) and B. fernaldii (threatened) habitat. The global distribution of these arctic, native brassicas are restricted to the Limestone Barrens of the Northern Peninsula of
Newfoundland. The Limestone Barrens is a
unique habitat and a hotspot of plant diversity,
and by the completion of my honours project I
was hooked! Immediately following my graduation I began graduate studies. The purpose of my
current research is to determine if the population
stability of Braya spp is threatened by the annual
influx of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L), from overwintering sites in the United
States. This insect is an agricultural pest whose
hosts are mustard crops that are not often available on the Northern Peninsula. Adults arrive on
the island in early July and larval feeding causes
extreme damage to both leaves and reproductive
structures throughout the growing season. I now
know that the diamondback moth can reproduce
in critical Braya habitats, which was previously
thought to be improbable due to climatic conditions. I am presently investigating whether diamondback herbivory weakens plants allowing
infection by Fusarium spp. because since 2003
Volume 37(1) mars, 2005
fungal infection has resulted in the death of over
400 plants. I plan to combine these insect data
with long-term demographic data in a population
viability analysis.
Joni Kemp
intercrops for cauliflower in order to reduce oviposition by the female fly while addressing the
issue of competition between the intercrops. During the past few years I have also set up a cabbage
maggot rearing program here in St. John's and
have been involved with research on the strawberry root weevil. After the thesis is completed I
would like to continue research in the area of
organic/sustainable agriculture and am interested
in ecologically based pest management systems.
Outside of academia (yes, I have discovered this
realm exists) I am a mother to an amazing sixyear old and enjoy gardening, cooking, hiking
and going out to listen and dance to the awesome
music in St. John's!
Susan Tilley on Limestone Barrens of the Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland the only place
where the tiny endangered Braya spp. plants
are found.
27
O
ur lab is comprised of people who work
on a variety of topics across a broad range
of organisms, including: tephritid fruit
flies, Anopheline and Aedine mosquitoes, leaf
cutter bees, omnivorous bugs, aphids and their
predators and parasitoids, entomopathogenic fungi, black widow spiders, weevils and wireworms.
What we have in common is that all of us study
arthropod behaviour, and its implications for population and community dynamics. Some of us do
this by deriving complex nausea-inducing models, others conduct gee-whiz manipulative experiments and others still test hypotheses by working from published data. In the best of all worlds
each of us uses a battery of these approaches. If
there is a guiding thought it would be: find an
interesting question and then figure out what tools
are needed; never let the cercus wag the bug.
Every Thursday, we meet for a lab discussion.
The exact topic doesn't matter but rather we use
the time as an opportunity to elucidate some problem as a group. Usually, that begins as a so-called
brain storming session where the only tools we
use are a whiteboard and marking pens. Throw in
a batch of cookies, good-natured bantering and
before we know it, we identify The Critical Question. Well, it's not exactly that easy nor that quick
but after some time, something clicks, and we
agree that step 1 has been completed. Now, we
have to decide whether to proceed to step 2 where
we actually try to answer the question or go home
happy knowing what the question is. Right now,
we are working on models for the evolution of
omnivory and doing manipulative experiments
on the cost of plant feeding to zoophytophages.
Moms, don't tell your kids this, but we found that
eating your vegetables may not be such a good
thing at least if you feed by beak.
Bernie Roitberg: bernard_roitberg@sfu.ca,
http://www.sfu.ca/biology/faculty/roitberg/
I currently work on two systems, Anopheles
gambiae (African malaria mosquito) and Dicyphus hesperus (omnivore bug). There are two
main parts to my work with A. gambiae; in Burnaby we use lab experiments to determine the range
of behaviours the animal can express and in Ken-
84
ya (with Woody Foster, Ohio State University)
we determine what opportunities there are for expressing those behaviours (mostly host search
and host acceptance). With Dicyphus, in collaboration with Dave Gillespie (Agriculture and AgriFood Canada), we are trying to understand what
role plants play in intraguild interactions among
Dicyphus and other biocontrol agents.
I have been interested in science since I was a
little boy, although entomology didn't become a
passion until my undergrad days. Early on, I
thought I might pursue a career in botany, but
soon realized that the insects on the plants were
more interesting to me than the plants themselves.
Also, it wasn't until my PhD studies that I began
to incorporate formal theory into my work, but it
Bernie Roitberg
has since paid big dividends. Understanding the
underlying theory has made me a much better
experimental biologist and vice versa. The downside is that theory never sleeps and it can be consuming. The first thing my partner says as we
head off for our daily hike in the woods is, "No
differential equations". You get the idea.
Lab members:
Tim Hazard, MSc candidate
I am exploring some aspects of the foraging
behaviour of the beneficial zoophytophagous in-
Profil de labo
sect predator, Dicyphus hesperus (Heteroptera:
Miridae). In particular, I am interested in the cues
D. hesperus uses to orient to plants and prey
including olfaction and vision. My research will
hopefully provide some insight into methods for
the improvement of pest management strategies
employing this natural enemy.
Allison Henderson, MSc candidate
My MSc research took me to Central America
where I studied the habitat-use and sexual communication of Exophthalmus jekelianus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), an important defoliating
pest of coffee in the Turrialba region of Costa
Rica. My work contributed valuable knowledge
of weevil activity, habitat use and chemical ecology. Having recently defended my thesis, I am
currently exploring some of the human social aspects of coffee production in Latin America. I aim
to pursue a PhD in agricultural biology in the
coming year.
Lee Henry, MSc candidate
The focus of my research is directed at host
utility by the generalist aphid parasitoid Aphidius
ervi. Using a combination of olfactory response,
behavioural and larval performance assays I have
been able to address factors that facilitate and
impede movement towards alternate host species.
Lee Henry
Volume 37(2) juin, 2005
Some (recent ) past and present lab members,
from left: Brian Ma, Allison Henderson, Maxence
Salomon, Jason Peterson, Christy Macdougall
and Jen Perry.
More recently my research direction has turned
towards host adaptation to novel host species over
successive parasitoid generations. Adaptation to
alternate host species has been primarily studied
using herbivorous insects. A generalist parasitoid system offers a unique look at selection and
adaptation in insects confronted with a novel host
through changes in adult behaviour and larval
performance.
Brian Ma, PhD candidate
Using the mosquito, A. gambiae, I hope to gain
a better understanding of the links between individual physiology, behaviour and community
dynamics. I use a combination of experiments
and models to tackle this problem. In the laboratory, I test the impact of individual states such as
nutrition, infection and body size, on mosquito
behaviour. My research focuses on blood feeding behaviour, but also includes oviposition and
sugar feeding decisions. I also build mechanistic
models to predict behavioural changes, as well as
85
Lab profile
Conan Phelan, MSc candidate
I am working experimentally with A. gambiae
mosquitoes to understand patterns of larval growth
and development in an adaptive context. I will
test the hypothesis that the extensive developmental plasticity in mosquitoes represents an adaptation for managing a trade-off between juvenile survival and adult size and condition. My
research will provide insight into how life histories are shaped and possibly identify aspects of
the larval ecology relevant for disease epidemiology and control.
Patricia Jaramillo, MSc candidate
I am originally from Medellin, Colombia. There,
I studied a BA in history and philosophy at the
Latin America Autonomous University and later
pursued a BSc in Agricultural Sciences at the
National University of Colombia. I am an international student at SFU studying under the supervision of Bernard Roitberg with co-supervision from Dave Guillespie (AAFC) and Mark
Goettel (AAFC ). My MSc research focuses on
intraguild interactions between the predator
Aphidoletes aphidimyza and the entomopathogenic fungus Verticillium lecanii, two natural enemies of the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae.
Both have been used as successful biological control agents against several aphid species. The results of my research aim to answer fundamental
questions regarding the simultaneous use A. aphidimyza and M. persicae and enhance the effec-
Khandaker Jannat
changes at the community level. My findings
should help us gain a better understanding of vector-borne disease epidemiology.
Anopheles gambiae (African malaria mosquito)
tiveness of biological control techniques for M.
persicae in greenhouse systems.
Maxence Salomon, PhD candidate
For my PhD degree with Bernie, I am investigating the dynamics of coexistence amongst and
between native western black widow spiders,
Latrodectus hesperus, and introduced European
house spiders, Tegenaria spp. These spiders naturally co-occur in southern B.C. where they exhibit communal behaviours despite their strongly
territorial nature. This raises the question of why
and how do these spiders partition common resources. My approach to answering this question
is both theoretical and empirical; it involves the
use of manipulative and observational studies in
the lab or in the field to test theoretical predictions
about the influence of coexisting individuals on
habitat settlement decisions.
Sue Senger, PhD candidate
I work on cherry fruit fly dispersal in structured environments. The key to this work is the
use of individual fly behaviour to understand the
factors that influence dispersal decisions at a landscape level, including fly flight propensity, tree
structure and host quality and quantity. The results have implications for the improvement of
pest management techniques for this economically important orchard pest.
Patricia Jaramillo
86
Profil de labo
mechanisms behind behavioural and physiological changes in infected vectors will help us determine if such changes are due to active manipulation of the parasite, an adaptation of the vector, or
simply a side-effect of infection. I also use multiple stresses such as infection and nutritional deprivation to put our understanding of the effects of
Plasmodium on its vector into a more ecologically relevant context. This work will also help elucidate some of the trade-offs involved in the response of mosquitoes to infection.
Wim van Herk
Kelly Walker, MSc candidate
I am interested in the nature of the host-parasite
relationship. The objectives of my research are to
determine the mechanisms of changes in the behaviour and physiology of A. gambiae mosquitoes infected with Plasmodium berghei, the causative agent of rodent malaria. Determining the
Volume 37(2) juin, 2005
Kelly Walker
Dave Gillespie (AAFC) is an honorary member
of our lab who attends weekly lab meetings, cosupervises students and provides baked goods
on a regular basis.
Dave Gillespie
Wim van Herk, MSc candidate
My work involves studying how different
classes of insecticides affect the behaviour of
wireworms (elaterid larvae). Of particular interest is how wireworms respond to sublethal doses
of insecticides in the soil, and what concentrations are required to effectively control them.
Complicating factors are the insect's long (four
year) larval period, their ability to recover from
near-death experiences and their subterranean lifestyle.
Nearly all my work is done out of Bob Vernon's lab at the Pacific Agricultural Research Center in Agassiz, BC. Other projects I'm involved
with include identification of wireworm species
from Alberta and Saskatchewan and effectiveness of flooding as a cultural control of wireworms in the Fraser Valley, B.C.
Dicyphus hesperus on a flower.
87
Le labo de Éric Lucas
L
a recherche effectuée au laboratoire de lutte
biologique de l'UQAM s'oriente autour de
deux thématiques principales, en premier
lieu l'écologie des organismes entomophages et
en second lieu la lutte contre les arthropodes nuisibles. Au niveau de l'écologie des entomophages,
deux grandes avenues sont explorées, 1- au niveau
de l'individu, l'écologie comportementale des
aphidiphages, plus particulièrement la prédation
furtive et la prédation intraguilde; 2- au niveau
des guildes, l'étude des facteurs qui influencent la
structure et la dynamique des guildes aphidiphages. Au niveau de la lutte contre les organismes
nuisibles, plusieurs projets spécifiques portent sur
la gestion de la tordeuse à bandes obliques, du
carpocapse de la pomme, des pucerons en pomme de terre, des insectes des denrées entreposées,
de la mouche blanche…
En ce qui a trait au fonctionnement du laboratoire, l'équipe de recherche se veut un groupe de
travail ou les mots clés sont motivation, échanges, entraide, respect et bonne humeur. La réunion
hebdomadaire prend diverses formes selon les
impératifs du moment (congrès à venir) et les
intérêts de l'organisateur. Les travaux du labora-
toire s'inscrivent au sein du GRECA, le groupe
de recherche en écologie comportementale et animale, fondé l'an passé à l'université. Il est à noter
que le département des sciences biologiques de
l'Université vient d'être déménagé au complet dans
un nouveau bâtiment au sein du complexe scientifique de l'Université. À ce titre, les visiteurs,
stagiaires et autres chercheurs en sabbatique sont
les bienvenus. http://www.unites.uqam.ca/dsbio/
professeurs/professeur_lucas.htm, courriel :
lucas.eric@uqam.ca.
Olivier Aubry, candidat à la maîtrise
Étudiant français, j'ai obtenu une maîtrise de
biologie des populations et des écosystèmes de
l'Université Henri Poincaré (Nancy, France) en
échange international à l'UQÀM. Ce séjour au
Québec m'a permis de réaliser un travail d'initiation
à la recherche, portant sur l'asymétrie fluctuante,
dans le laboratoire d'Éric où j'ai trouvé un cadre
très stimulant et convivial. J'ai donc choisi avec
enthousiasme de prolonger mon séjour à Montréal en commençant une maîtrise de biologie, sous
la supervision d'Éric et de Daniel Cormier (IRDA).
Mon sujet portait initialement sur deux nouveaux
moyens de lutte à risques réduits contre le carpocapse de la pomme, Cydia pomonella L. : lutte
L’ équipe du laboratoire de Éric Lucas, de la gauche vers la droite: Annabelle Firlej, Olivier Aubry,
Geneviève Labrie, Louise Voynaud, Éric Lucas, Jacinthe Tremblay, Mircea Bejan, Claudio Nunes,
Olivier Castonguay et Bruno Fréchette. Manquant de la photo: Julie Bourgeault, Benoît
Guénard, Martin Lavoie, Nathalie Roullé et Samuel Pinna.
150
Profil de labo
attracticide (phéromone sexuelle, insecticide et
substance collante) et lutte biologique (lâchers
inondatifs de parasitoïdes oophages). J'ai ainsi
découvert un véritable attrait pour les parasitoïdes… ce qui a été concrétisé par un second
volet dans mon sujet de maîtrise portant sur la
sélection de l'hôte par Trichogramma minutum
Riley sur les œufs du carpocapse et ceux de la
tordeuse à bandes obliques, Choristoneura rosaceana Harris. Je teste ainsi la performance et la
préférence du parasitoïde, en tenant compte de
l'influence de l'habitat de l'hôte, ainsi que l'influence
de l'hôte d'élevage. J'en suis à la moitié de ma
maîtrise, mais je pense déjà à la suite… et le Canada est d'un attrait certain pour y poursuivre un
doctorat !
Mircea Bejan, candidat à la maîtrise
Étudiant d'origine roumaine et après avoir
obtenu un baccalauréat en foresterie, j'effectue ma
maîtrise sous la coordination d'Éric Lucas et de
Charles Vincent sur la résistance des plantes sauvages envers les pucerons. Plus spécifiquement,
j'évalue la résistance de 12 accessions de plantes
sauvages du genre Solanum (apparentées à la
pomme de terre) au puceron vert du pêcher et au
puceron de la pomme de terre. Je travaille en collaboration avec les membres du réseau POMRAV (Université d'Amiens -France, UQAM
Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada).
Julie Bourgeault, candidate à la maîtrise
Après avoir complété un baccalauréat en géographie, je poursuis une maîtrise en science de
l'environnement. L'intégration au sein de l'équipe
du laboratoire de lutte biologique d'Éric Lucas à
l'UQAM ainsi que son encadrement en tant que
directeur de recherche m'a permis d'enrichir mes
connaissances en sciences biologiques et
d'acquérir une vision qui se veut davantage multidisciplinaire. Je tente, de part ma recherche, de
découvrir quels sont les facteurs qui favorisent
ou limitent l'adoption de la lutte intégrée au
Québec. Mon étude permettra de mettre en lumière les déterminants qui sont prédominants à
l'adoption de la lutte intégrée et de connaître
l'importance de ceux-ci.
Volume 37(3) septembre, 2005
Martin Lavoie, candidat à la maîtrise
Le projet pilote du lac Supérieur vise à contrôler l'envahissement des herbiers de myriophylle
à épi (Myriophyllum spitacum), une plante aquatique non-indigène introduite en Amérique du
Nord dans les années1940, par le transfert d'un
grand nombre de charançons indigènes du Québec
(Euhrychiopsis lecontei). Comme tout le cycle de
vie de ce charançon s'effectue sur le myriophylle
à épi, il induit des dommages qui limitent la croissance et la multiplication de la plante. Cette
technique de contrôle biologique, qui semble avoir
fait ses preuves aux États-Unis, est ainsi utilisée
pour la première fois au Canada et dans un lac
avec une latitude aussi élevée.
Jacinthe Tremblay, candidate à la maîtrise
Je fais une maîtrise en biologie sous la supervision de Jacques Brodeur (Université Laval), Éric
Lucas (UQAM) et Daniel Cormier (Institut de
recherche et de développement en agroenvironnement). Mon projet porte sur l'impact des boisés
adjacents aux vergers sur l'abondance et le taux
de parasitisme de la tordeuse à bandes obliques
(TBO), Choristoneura rosaceana (Tortricidae),
qui est un ravageur secondaire en vergers et dont
certaines populations démontrent une résistance
aux insecticides. Je m'intéresse particulièrement
aux parasitoïdes Meteorus trachynotus (Braconidae) et Actia interrupta (Tachinidae), qui
s'attaquent également à la tordeuse des bourgeons
de l'épinette (TBE), Choristoneura fumiferana.
Mes objectifs principaux sont : (1) établir si la
composition du boisé influence l'abondance de la
TBO, de ses parasitoïdes, ainsi que le taux de
parasitisme de la TBO; (2) évaluer si la distance à
la bordure boisé-verger influence leur abondance
et le taux de parasitisme de la TBO et (3) préciser
les périodes d'activité des parasitoïdes. Je travaille
présentement dans les régions de St-Bruno,
Rougemont, Dunham et Frelighsburg.
Louise Voynault, candidate à la maîtrise
Étant particulièrement intéressée par l'éthologie
entomologique et les pratiques agricoles, la prédation intraguilde est rapidement devenue mon
champ de bataille. Mon étude explore donc
l'influence des caractéristiques intrinsèques des
Bulletin de la Société d'entomologie du Canada 151
Lab profile
populations de pucerons (Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Homoptera : Aphididae)) plus particulièrement du site de nutrition et de la propension à la
chute sur une utilisation conjointe par deux types
de prédateurs, deux prédateurs actifs (Harmonia
axyridis (Coleptera. : Coccinellidae) ainsi que
Chrysoperla rufilabris (Neuroptera : Chrysopidae)) et un troisième furtif (Aphidoletes aphidimyza (Diptera : Cecidomyiidae)). Ainsi, j'espère
améliorer ma compréhension des relations prédateurs-proies tout en jetant une lumière supplémentaire sur l'utilisation des auxiliaires en lutte
biologique.
Benoit Guénard, candidat à la maîtrise
Je travaille sur les interactions fourmis-pucerons et mon projet cherche à déterminer la susceptibilité de certains prédateurs à exploiter les colonies de pucerons entretenues par les fourmis. Cette
approche nous a conduit à cibler l'étude sur un
prédateur au comportement particulier, qualifié
de prédation furtive, la cécidomyie Aphidoletes
aphidimyza. Ce prédateur peut exploiter les colonies de pucerons sans provoquer de réactions
défensives chez ses proies, par un jeu de mouvements lents et d'immobilisation de la proie après
morsure. Nous avons alors vérifié si ce comportement le favorisait au sein des colonies de pucerons entretenues par des fourmis et si ces sites lui
servaient de zone libre d'ennemi naturel.
De manière plus générale je suis passionné par
les fourmis et les relations qu'elles entretiennent
avec les organismes au sein de leur environnement.
Nord. Mon étude devrait aider à mieux comprendre pourquoi des espèces invasives sont souvent
peu susceptibles aux ennemis naturels qu'ils rencontrent dans leur nouvel environnement.
Geneviève Labrie, candidate au doctorat
Mes intérêts en entomologie sont très diversifiés et j'apprécie particulièrement les projets qui
touchent à différents aspects, autant physiologiques
qu'écologiques ou des problématiques sociales
liées aux insectes. J'effectue mon doctorat sous la
direction de Daniel Coderre et la co-direction d'Éric
Lucas sur la coccinelle asiatique Harmonia axyridis Pallas dans le but de comprendre les mécanismes d'invasion de cette espèce à la suite de
son introduction comme agent de lutte biologique.
Je me suis intéressée à différentes caractéristiques
intrinsèques et extrinsèques de cette coccinelle
qui lui permettent de réussir son invasion, au
niveau du développement larvaire, de sa capacité
de compétition directe et indirecte ainsi que ses
réactions face aux facteurs environnementaux
comme le climat durant l'hiver ou la productivité
des ressources. Les impacts environnementaux
et sociaux de cette introduction sont aussi des
aspects qui m'intéressent. Les résultats de cette
recherche amèneront une meilleure compréhension des caractéristiques des espèces invasives,
tout en donnant des indications sur les agents de
lutte biologique à choisir à l'avenir.
Bruno Fréchette
Annabelle Firlej, candidate au doctorat
Sous la direction de Daniel Coderre et la codirection de Guy Boivin et d'Éric Lucas, j'étudie
les relations comportementales et physiologiques
entre la coccinelle invasive Harmonia axyridis
Pallas et le parasitoïde Dinocampus coccinellae
Schrank. Je vérifie si les comportements de
défense de la coccinelle, sa qualité nutritive et
l'action de son système immunitaire peuvent expliquer pourquoi cette coccinelle est peu parasitée
par D. coccinellae actuellement en Amérique du
Harmonia axyridis
152
Bruno Fréchette
Profil de labo
Punaise assassine
Claudio Nunes, candidat au doctorat
Mon travail de doctorat m'a amené en
Amérique Centrale ou j'ai étudié les agents de
lutte biologique contre la mouche blanche Bemisia tabaci (Homoptera : Aleyrodidae), important
vecteur viral des cultures maraîchères. L'étude a
permis d'évaluer les ennemis naturels de B. tabaci, leur fluctuation en fonction des facteurs biotiques et abiotiques ainsi que leurs relations
trophiques (plant, proie, prédateur). La recherche
réalisée conjointement avec le Centro de Investigación en Proteccion Vegetal (CIPROV) a permis l'élaboration et la validation d'un programme
de lutte intégrée contre cet important ravageur dans
les cultures maraîchères nicaraguayennes.
Samuel Pinna, candidat au doctorat
Samuel Pinna possède une maîtrise en sciences de l'environnement dont le sujet portait sur
l'impact de la fourmi électrique, Wasmannia auropunctata, sur les écosystèmes de Nouvelle Calédonie. Son sujet de doctorat traite de l'influence
de la matrice paysagère urbaine sur l'entomofaune.
Il s'intéresse plus particulièrement aux espèces
invasives en milieu urbain ainsi qu'à la biodiversité entomologique qu'on y retrouve. Il travaille
plus particulièrement sur les familles des Coccinellidae et Carabidae.
Nathalie Roullé, candidate au doctorat
Mon projet de doctorat porte sur les zones agricoles ; je travaille sur l'effet de la structure et de
la dynamique du paysage sur les insectes des cul-
Volume 37(3) septembre, 2005
tures. Dans les champs de maïs, je m'intéresse
aux pucerons, leurs prédateurs et leurs parasitoïdes. J'essaie de voir si la présence de zones
non cultivées à proximité, le type de culture, la
taille des parcelles, leur forme, leur agencement
dans l'espace ont un effet sur les insectes que je
trouve dans les champs de maïs. Mon projet
s'intègre dans un projet plus vaste qui s'intéresse
au paysage agricole dans un but d'aménagement.
Un premier volet traite de la perception du paysage agricole selon les usagers et un deuxième
volet de la pollution diffuse par le phosphore.
Au niveau appliqué, je m'intéresse aux questions environnementales en milieu agricole. Un
des aspects intéressants des études sur l'agriculture
est qu'il est nécessaire d'intégrer l'aspect humain.
Les communautés d'insectes que l'on trouve à un
endroit donné seront expliquées par la base physique, l'occupation du sol mais aussi par les pratiques agricoles, et ces pratiques agricoles
dépendent d'un certain nombre de facteurs culturels et sociaux.
Au niveau théorique, je suis passionnée
d'évolution. Comment ce qui est, est. Qu'est ce
que le vivant ? Quelle est la différence entre le
vivant et le non vivant ?
Bruno Fréchette, stagiaire post-doctoral
Au cours de ce stage post-doctoral, je cherche
à déterminer le potentiel de certains aménagements
effectués en verger de pommiers et visant à augmenter le contrôle naturel des populations de
pucerons du complexe Aphis spp. Un objectif
sous-jacent est de déterminer le rôle des prédateurs dans la régulation des populations de pucerons. Une première série d'observations visera à
déterminer l'impact de la présence d'un couvresol fleuri et d'une bordure de plantes compagnes
sur les populations de pucerons et de prédateurs.
De même, la susceptibilité aux infestations de
pucerons de différents cultivars résistants à la tavelure sera évaluée. Le rôle éventuel joué par les
prédateurs sera estimé en comparant les densités
de pucerons dans des arbres où les prédateurs
seront exclus avec celles d'arbres où aucune manipulation de prédateurs sera effectuée.
Bulletin de la Société d'entomologie du Canada 153

lab profiles - Entomological Society of Canada

Transcription

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