Graduate Students
Nathan E. Harms
- B.S. Biology, University of Texas at Dallas
- M.S. candidate, Biology, Advisor: Dr. J.H. Kennedy
My research interests include the interactions of insect herbivores and aquatic plants. I am also interested in the regulation of insect herbivore populations by parasitoids. My thesis involves the comparison of aquatic epiphytic macroinvertebrate communities on the aquatic plant, Heteranthera dubia from sites in four areas of the U.S. By sampling in sites separated by large geographic distances, we hope to gain a better understanding of how aquatic epiphytic communities are structured, and how they are similar or different, based on geographic region. I currently am employed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Research and Development Center (USACE-ERDC) where my work focuses mainly on the biological control of the invasive aquatic weeds Hydrilla verticillata, Salvinia molesta, and Pistia stratiotes, including mass-rearing of their respective insect biological control agents. In my future work, I hope to continue work in the field of biological control, as well as to further examine the effects of insect herbivores on aquatic plant community structure and diversity.
Publications
Grodowitz, M.J., Nachtrieb, J.G., Harms, N.E., Bare, R., and C. Snell. 2009. Parasitism and Host Selection Behavior of Trichopria columbiana Ashmead and its Effect on Establishment and Dynamics of Hydrellia spp. Populations. In review.
Harms, N.E. and M.J. Grodowitz, 2009. Insect Herbivores of Aquatic and Wetland Plants in the U.S.: a Checklist From Literature. J. Aquat. Plant Manage. In review.
Harms, N.E. and M.J. Grodowitz, 2009. Overwintering Behavior of Hydrellia Pakistanae Deonier. In prep.
Harms, N.E., Grodowitz, M.J., and J. Nachtrieb. 2009. Mass-rearing Hydrellia pakistanae Deonier and H. balciunasi Bock for the management of Hydrilla verticillata. ERDC/TN APCRP-BC-12. Vicksburg, MS: U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center.
Owens, C.S., Grodowitz, M.J., Smart, R.M., Harms, N.E., and J. M. Nachtrieb, 2006. Viability of Hydrilla Fragments Exposed to Different Levels of Insect Herbivory, J. Aquat. Plant Manage. 44, 145.
