Research interests
Ecology, evolution and taxonomy of bark and ambrosia beetles (Scolytinae), especially the fungus-farming and inbred group Xyleborina:
- Ecology of tropical bark and ambrosia beetles. In the course of my collaboration with Biantang Research Center I established and managed a project investigating the host specificity, community structure and beta-diversity of the tropical bark and ambrosia beetles. The project is based on the work of parataxonomists, and is yielding significant datasets ( http://www.entu.cas.cz/png/ ).
- Evolution and systematics of the haplodiploid inbred Xyleborina ambrosia beetles. In the Holistic Insect Systematics Laboratory at MSU I am working on the generic revision of the subtribe and on revision of certain genera ( http://www.hisl.ent.msu.edu).
- Relationships between the populations of temperate bark beetles (especially the palearctic Spruce bark beetle Ips typographus ), their predators and host trees, with special focus on the semiochemical basis of these interactions.
Links
- I am running a journal club Current topics in Systematics and Evolution.
- The New Guinea Binatang Research Center - a prominent tropical entomology research facility I collaborate with.
- My on-line pictures of Scolytidae via ForestryImages.