Bruce Smith Section 1 2009-10 Opportunities
Research in my lab centers on organismal-level biology of invertebrates, involving ecology, behavior and evolution. Many of the projects have dealt with predator/prey or parasite/host interactions involving mites feeding on insects. These projects include searching behavior, the use of chemical cues in host or prey location, and the impact of mites on their insect prey/hosts. Potentials for research on reproductive behavior include studying mate-seeking and mate-selection behavior, and chemical communication among mites. I also may be able to suggest research projects that will address your special interests (e.g., forensic entomology, scientific illustrating, environmental / ecological projects) - if you have such an interest, please discuss it with me. Summer-based research can involve studies on host-parasite interactions in naturally-occurring populations (i.e., field studies), most academic year studies are laboratory based. However, if you are interested in field-oriented ecological research, I can suggest projects involving aquatic invertebrates during the Spring semester. Please look at my web page for additional information about research in my lab http://www.ithaca.edu/biology/res_bsmith.pdf.
SUGGESTED TOPICS (note: we would meet to design the exact project).
1) Pheromone communication in water mites: do females reduce pheromone production when males are present?
2) Mating behaviour: is female fertility affected by polyandry?
3) Sex-ratio skew in mites: how and why do some females specialize in producing male or female offspring?
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