A5104437614- Plant and animal studies
- Coffee research and impacts
- Plant Virus Research Studies
- Insect-Plant Interactions and Control
- Forest Insect Ecology and Management
- Ecosystem dynamics and resilience
- Nonlinear Dynamics and Pattern Formation
- Plant Parasitism and Resistance
- Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
- Plant and Fungal Interactions Research
- Animal Disease Management and Epidemiology
- Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
- Cocoa and Sweet Potato Agronomy
- Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences
- Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management
- Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Agriculture, Land Use, Rural Development
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Agricultural Innovations and Practices
- Urban Agriculture and Sustainability
- Insect and Pesticide Research
- Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation
- Animal and Plant Science Education
- Insect Utilization and Effects
- Land Use and Ecosystem Services
University of Michigan
2016-2025
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research
2023-2025
Luther University
2025
Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
2025
Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Computer Science
2025
Michigan United
2013
Significance Decades of research have fostered the now-prevalent assumption that noncrop habitat facilitates better pest suppression by providing shelter and food resources to predators parasitoids crop pests. Based on our analysis largest pest-control database its kind, surrounding farm fields does affect multiple dimensions control, but actual responses pests enemies are highly variable across geographies cropping systems. Because often not enhance biological more information about local...
Although integrating trees into agricultural systems (i.e., agroforestry systems) provides many valuable ecosystem services, the can also interact with plant diseases. We demonstrate that a detailed understanding of how diseases in is necessary to identify key tree canopy characteristics, leaf traits, spatial arrangements, and management options help control at different scales. focus our analysis on affect coffee rust, major disease affecting one world's most significant crop commodities....
Mitigation of CO2 atmospheric emission rates is partially accomplished through carbon storage in ecosystems, including agricultural systems. In particular, agroforestry systems have been cited as important current and potentially future depositories for carbon. Coffee produced on substantial areas tropical lands, traditionally incorporating shade trees part the system, but recently having seen much conversion to so-called sun coffee, largely absent trees. Taking coffee production region...
In ecology, Alan Turing’s proposed activation–inhibition mechanism has been abstracted as corresponding to several ecological interaction types explain pattern formation in ecosystems. Consumer–resource interactions have strong theoretical arguments linking them both the Turing and formation, but there is little empirical support demonstrate these claims. Here, we connect lines of evidence proposition that consumer–resource can create empirically observed spatial patterns through a similar...
Disturbances influence the maintenance of diversity in important, but complex, ways across spatial and temporal scales. Although disturbance effects on are known to be scale-dependent taxon-specific, there is little mechanistic understanding processes that observed context-dependency. Here, we take a theoretical approach based metacommunity theory examine interaction between shaping patterns We find shapes at local regional scales which can lead either homogenization (decreases β-diversity)...
Mexico is one of the most biodiverse countries in world, with an important proportion endemism mainly because convergence Nearctic and Neotropical biogeographic regions, which generate great diversity species turnover at different spatial scales. However, our knowledge Mexican ant biota limited to a few well-studied taxa, we lack comprehensive synthesis biodiversity information. For instance, available literature on fauna refers only lists by states, or focused regions country, prevents...
Abstract Whether an ecological community is controlled from above or below remains a popular framework that continues generating interesting research questions and takes on especially important meaning in agroecosystems. We describe the regulation of three coffee herbivores, leaf herbivore (the green scale, Coccus viridis), seed predator berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei), plant pathogen rust disease, caused by Hemelia vastatrix) various natural enemies, emphasizing remarkable complexity...
Abstract Resistance and resilience have become important concepts in the evaluation of disturbance events, providing a framework that is useful light expected increase frequency occurrences hurricanes as consequence climate change. Hurricane Maria landed on Puerto Rico category 4 storm September 2017. Among affected elements were agricultural systems, including coffee agroecosystems. Historically, has been major backbone island’s sector. Grown with range management styles, agroecosystem...
Emerging zoonoses (new infectious diseases where pathogens circulate between humans and domestic wild animals) follow ecological evolutionary processes that are becoming more common, undermining our ability to achieve the sustainable development goal of good health well-being. Agriculture has been implied as a major force promoting emerging zoonoses. However, agricultural systems variable, with some modes production expressing social formations condition biological interactions can promote...
Ecological systems, as is often noted, are complex. Equally notable the generalization that complex systems tend to be oscillatory, whether Huygens' simple patterns of pendulum entrainment or twisted chaotic orbits Lorenz’ convection rolls. The analytics oscillators may thus provide insight into structure ecological systems. One most popular analytical tools for such study Kuramoto model coupled oscillators. We apply this a stylized vision dynamics well-studied system pests and their...
Recent theoretical work suggests that two ineffective control agents can provide effective biological when coupled together. We explore the implications of this with system coffee leaf rust (CLR), caused by fungal agent Hemileiae vastatrix, and its natural enemies, a pathogen (Lecanicillium lecanii) spore predator (Mycodiplosis hemileiae). Here we report on comparative surveys CLR enemies in Mexico, where has been at epidemic status since 2012, Puerto Rico, is present but not reached...
Concerns over the capacity of world’s existing agricultural land to provide food for global population under climate change and continued biodiversity loss have set stage a prevailing narrative inherent tradeoffs with production. Coffee, major export tropical countries, offers unique opportunity examine how different management practices can lead variety outcomes in security, ecosystem services, conservation. Our study examined this intersection identify synergies using compiled data from...
Agricultural intensification is implicated as a major driver of global biodiversity loss. Local management and landscape scale factors both influence in agricultural systems, but there are relatively few studies to date looking at how local scales tropical agroecosystems. Understanding what drives the diversity groups organisms such spiders important from pragmatic point view because biocontrol services they offer agriculture. Spiders coffee somewhat enigmatic their positive or lack response...
Abstract The coffee leaf rust disease (CLR), caused by the fungus Hemileia vastatrix , is an economically significant phytopathogen of cultivated Coffea species. Since plants with CLR drop their infected leaves, rain splash from litter could be one way H. spores are dispersed, but this mechanism has not been demonstrated. Here we experimentally verify that can lead to dispersal and infection. In a semi-controlled experiment, compared infection rates pairs potted uninfected, susceptible C....
Abstract Context Understanding the movement of bioaerosols, such as spores and pollen, through atmosphere is important for a broad spectrum landscape research, including agricultural fungal outbreaks pollen threats to public health. As can be transported in air over large distances, use aircraft has historically played role detecting mapping their presence lower atmosphere. Objectives We present simple alternative costly specialized associated equipment that are typically used study Methods...
Abstract Critical transitions, sudden responses to slow changes in environmental drivers, are inherent many dynamic processes, prompting a search for early warning signals. We apply this framework understanding the coffee rust disease, which experienced an unprecedented outbreak Mesoamerica 2012–2013, likely critical transition. Based on monthly infection data from 128 study quadrats 45-ha plot southern Mexico 2014 2020, we find that persistent seasonal epidemic following initial collapses...