معرفی
Spence Behmer is a Professor in the Department of Entomology at Texas A&M University and Founding Chair of the Ecology & Evolutionary Biology PhD program. His research focuses on insect nutritional physiology, ecology, and plant-herbivore interactions, with emphasis on species like ants, aphids, grasshoppers, and honey bees. He has secured over $15M in federal funding and published 85 peer-reviewed articles, cited over 5,400 times. Behmer co-edits the Journal of Insect Physiology and serves on editorial boards for Current Opinion in Insect Science, Insect Science, and others. He has led national and international conferences, including the Gordon Research Conference on Plant-Herbivore Interactions.
Education:
- B.S. Biology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- M.S. Biology/Ecology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- Ph.D. Entomology, University of Arizona
Research Interests: Behmer’s work integrates in vitro and field studies to explore how insects regulate nutrient intake, adapt to dietary limitations, and interact with host plants. Key themes include sterol nutrition, Bt toxin susceptibility, and the ecological consequences of herbivore nutritional strategies. His lab develops novel pest management techniques leveraging nutritional and molecular insights.
Recent Article Trends: Behmer’s recent publications emphasize RNAi-mediated pest control, plant-insect sterol dynamics, and nutritional regulation in social insects. Key innovations include using cricket powder in ant diets and exploring leaf-mining fly evolution to understand herbivory adaptations.
Grants & Funding: Over $15M secured through USDA and NSF programs for projects on nutritional physiology, Bt toxin efficacy, and plant defense mechanisms. Current work includes sterol-modified crops and nano-pesticide interactions.
Labs/Teams: Leads Texas A&M’s Entomology Nutrition Lab, collaborating with ecologists, geneticists, and agricultural engineers to bridge lab and field studies. Initiatives include the Schistocerca gregaria genome project and Bt toxin-nutrition interaction studies.
