FEATURED AUTHOR

Timothy Schowalter

Professor and Head
Louisiana State University

I am trained in insect ecology, forest entomology and ecosystem ecology and have worked with six Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Sites representing eastern deciduous and western coniferous forests, tallgrass and shortgrass prairies, and deserts in North America and tropical forest in the Caribbean. I have conducted comparative studies in tropical forests in Central America and Taiwan.

Subjects: Agricultural Science, Environmental Science, Life Science

Biography

I have been Professor and Head of the Department of Entomology at Louisiana State University Agricultural Center since 2003. I was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Entomology at Texas A&M University before moving to Oregon State University as Assistant Professor of Entomology in 1981. I was promoted to Professor in 1993 and was Interim Head (2001-2003) prior to moving to LSU. My research and teaching expertise are in forest entomology and insect ecology, focusing on effects of arthropod herbivores and detritivores on primary production, decomposition and biogeochemical fluxes and on arthropod responses to natural and anthropogenic disturbances and environmental change. I have published a textbook, Insect Ecology: an Ecosystem Approach, now in its third edition, in addition to 70 peer-reviewed journal papers, 3 invited reviews, 14 books and book chapters and additional symposia proceedings and other publications. I was Program Director for Ecosystem Studies at the National Science Foundation (1992-93), Panel Member for the USDA NRICGP Forest/Range/Crop/Aquatic Ecosystems Program (1996), member of the National Research Council Committee on Environmental Issues in Pacific Northwest Forest Management (1995-2000, report published in 2000), Member of the Oregon Governor’s Task Force on Forest Health (1995-2003), and elected Vice President for Public Affairs, Ecological Society of America (1999-2002). I currently am a member of the Editorial Board for Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment and of the Louisiana Structural Pest Control Commission. I recently was named a Fellow of the Ecological Society of America and was elected to the Governing Board of the Entomological Society of America.

Education

B.A. Degree (Biology and Anthropology) Wichita State University (1974); M.S. Degree (Biology) New Mexico State University (1976); Ph.D. Degree (Entomology) The University of Georgia (1979)

Areas of Research / Professional Expertise

I have studied both insect responses to environmental changes and ways in which insects influence environmental changes. In particular, I have conducted research on insect responses to fire, cyclonic storms, drought and harvest methods and how these responses influence primary production, nutrient cycling, decomposition and ecological succession.

Personal Interests

bicycling, fishing, hiking, gardening

Books

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