Judith Myers

Emerita

My research interests include the theory and practice of biological control of insects and plants, population ecology of insects, ecology of invasive plants and the ecological and evolutionary factors influencing Bt resistance and NPV dynamics

 

Research interests

  1. Populations of western tent caterpillars in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia fluctuate with peaks occurring every 6 to 11 years. We have been studying the characteristics associated with these fluctuations and in particular the role of infection by nucleopolyhedrovirus in the host population dynamics. We are embarking on a genetic study of populations to determine the role of gene flow in maintaining synchrony among populations.
  2. Recent success in the biological control of diffuse knapweed has stimulated interest in how the various biological control agents interact and if the last insect to be widely established, a weevil, would have been sufficient on its own. We have established experimental cages in areas near Okanagan Falls in which diffuse knapweed has reinvaded following fire. Our goal is to be able to better predict what makes successful biological control agents.
  3. Populations of cabbage loopers in vegetable green houses sometimes become resistant to a commonly used microbial control, Dipel or Bacillus thuringiensis. We have been studying the cost of resistance, the genetic control of resistance, and the mechanisms that influence resistance to understand coevolutionary interactions between the disease and the host and to make recommendations to growers for resistance management.
The relationship between parasite fitness and host condition in an insect-virus system
PLOS ONE 9:e106401
Tseng, M., J.H. Myers
2014
Fitness related traits in a fly parasitoid are mediated by effects of plants on its host
J. Applied Entomology 132:663-667
Caron, V. Gillespie, D. and Myers, J.H
2008
One agent is usually sufficient for successful biological control of weeds
Proc. XII Intern. Symp. Biological Control of Weeds
Myers, J.H
2008
Refuges in reverse: the spread of Bacillus thuringiensis resistance to unselected greenhouse populations of cabbage loopers Trichoplusia ni
Agricultural and Forest Entomology 10:119-127
Franklin, M.T. and Myers, J.H
2008
Characterization of baculovirus isolates from Trichoplusia ni populations from vegetable greenhouses
Biological Control 41: 256-263
Erlandson, M., Newhouse, S., Moore, K., Janmaat, A. Myers, J. and D. Theilman
2007
Competition between Lythrum salicaria and a rare species: combining evidence from experiments and long-term monitoring
Plant Ecology in press
Denoth, M. and J.H. Myers
2007
How many and what kind of biological control agents: a case study with diffuse knapweed
Biological Control: a Global Perspective pp.70-79
Myers, J.H
2007
Resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis Toxin Cry1Ac in a greenhouse population of the Cabbage Looper, Trichoplusia ni
Applied and Environmental Microbiology 73: 1199-1207
Wang, P. Zhao, J-Z. Rodrigo-Simon, A. Kain, W. Janmaat, A.F., Shelton, A.M. Ferre, J. and Myers, J.H
2007
Tips for effective communication in ecology
Ecology 101. Bulletin of the Ecological
Smith, J.N.M, Myers-Smith, I.H., Myers, J.H
2007
Host plants effect the expression of resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis in Trichoplusia ni (Hubner): an important factor in resistance evolution
J. Evol. Biol. 20:62-69
Janmaat, A. and Myers, J.H
2006