Department of Zoology, University of Hawai`i 2538 McCarthy Mall, Edmondson 152 Honolulu, HI 96822 fax: (808) 956-9812 taylor@hawaii.edu www2.hawaii.edu/~taylor
One current project concerns the population dynamics of what I term "sublethal" parasitoids: species whose hosts reproduce (though possibly at reduced rates) despite being parasitized. The "feather-legged fly" (Trichopoda pennipes; Diptera, Tachinidae), which parasitizes adults of its host (the southern green stinkbug, Nezara viridula; Hemiptera, Pentatomidae), is being used in experimental and observational studies describing this interaction. Mathematical models are being used to explore the possible dynamic consequences of sublethality; these effects tend to be stabilizing but can be complex when age- or density-dependent effects are considered.
As an outgrowth of these studies of the Trichopoda–Nezara interaction, I have been collaborating on studies of the impact on native bugs of Trichopoda and other parasitoids introduced to Hawai'i to control the stinkbug.
Another major project addresses the dynamics of parasitoid-host "metapopulations" (ensembles of populations). Simulation models are being used to determine the circumstances under which parasitoid-host metapopulations persist; factors of interest include various forms of environmental variability, more complex spatial structures and density-dependent dispersal.
Taylor AD. 1998. Environmental variability and the persistence of parasitoid-host metapopulation models. Theor Popul Biol 53:98-107.
Taylor AD. 1997. Density dependent parasitoid recruitment per parasitized host: effects on parasitoid-host dynamics. Am Nat 149:989-1000.
Taylor AD. 1996. Sources of stability in host-parasitoid dynamics. In: Floyd RB, Sheppard AW, De Barro PJ, editors. Frontiers of Population Ecology. Melbourne: CSIRO Publishing. p 257-267.
Harrison S, Taylor AD. 1996. Empirical evidence for metapopulation dynamics. In: Hanski I, Gilpin M, editors. Metapopulation Dynamics: Ecology, Genetics and Evolution. New York: Academic Press. p 27-42.