Dr. Bowers's research concentrates on the interactions between plants, herbivores, pollinators and natural enemies and how environmental variation (both natural and anthropogenic) affects these interactions. Her research combines field, greenhouse and laboratory work to investigate these interactions from many perspectives, including behavior, evolution, ecology, physiology and chemistry. This research has its roots and context in attempts to understand how plant-insect-pollinator-natural enemy interactions evolve and are maintained. Dr. Bowers's research is concentrated in the following areas: multitrophic interactions; factors affecting variation in plant secondary chemistry and how this affects other organisms; the effects of human disturbance on native and introduced plant and insect populations; effects of human agriculture and disturbance on native insect communities; biological control of invasive plants.
keywords
plant-insect interactions, the effects of human disturbance on plants and insects, biological control of invasive weeds, chemical ecology, ecology and evolution of insects, butterfly ecology and evolution, multitrophic interactions
EBIO 3990 - EBIO Honors Thesis Research
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2023
Provides an introduction to the departmental Honors program. Consists of individual library research on a potential Honors thesis topic under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Recommended prerequisites: minimum 3.2 GPA and approval by departmental honors committee.
EBIO 4660 - Insect Biology
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2018 / Fall 2019 / Fall 2020 / Fall 2021
Lect. and lab. Introduction to evolution, ecology, physiology, and behavior of insects. Emphasizes how insects have solved problems, such as maintaining water balance or finding food, that are shared by all animals but for which there may be unique solutions among the insects. Agricultural and human health problems relative to entomology are discussed. Uses animals and/or animal tissues. Recommended prerequisites: EBIO 1210 and EBIO 1220 and EBIO 1230 and EBIO 1240 (minimum grade C-). Same as EBIO 5660.
EBIO 5000 - EBIO Colloquia
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2018 / Fall 2018 / Spring 2019 / Fall 2019 / Spring 2020
All first year EBIO graduate students are required to attend the EBIO Colloquia Series. Speakers from around the world and within the department cover topics in all areas of biology. May be repeated up to 2 total credit hours.
EBIO 5660 - Insect Biology
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2019 / Fall 2021
Lect. and lab. Introduction to evolution, ecology, physiology, and behavior of insects. Emphasizes how insects have solved problems, such as maintaining water balance or finding food, that are shared by all animals but for which there may be unique solutions among the insects. Agricultural and human health problems relative to entomology are discussed. Uses animals and/or animal tissues. Same as EBIO 4660.
EBIO 6950 - Master's Thesis
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2020
May be repeated up to 7 total credit hours. Instructor consent required.
MUSM 5051 - Museum Collections Management
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2022
Deals specifically with curation and data management. Topics include acquisition practices and problems; organization, management, use and preventive conservation of collections; computer data management of collections.
MUSM 6950 - Master's Thesis in Museum and Field Studies
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2019 / Fall 2020 / Spring 2021 / Fall 2022 / Spring 2023
A thesis, which may be of a research, expository, critical or creative type, is required of every master's degree candidate under the thesis option. Department enforced prerequisites: MUSM 5011 and MUSM 5051 and one of the following: MUSM 5030 or MUSM 5031 or MUSM 5041.
