Research Statement
Biodiversity and IPM Applications
THE IMPORTANCE OF INSECT BIODIVERSITY
Biodiversity is vital to our planet’s well-being but is currently in steep decline largely due to human activity including pollution, habitat destruction, and climate change. In terms of both population abundance and diversity, insects are by far the largest group of multicellular organisms on earth, bearing incredible influence on the health of the world’s ecosystems, whether through pollination, decomposition, their roles in food webs as predators or prey, or through a host of other functions.
Unfortunately, insects are no exception to the alarming rates of biodiversity loss. Research shows that 40% of the world’s insect species are on track to go extinct over the next few decades, with even more worrying levels of biodiversity loss occurring at local levels. The most significant factors appear to be habitat conversion, including agricultural intensification and urbanization, as well as pesticide and fertilizer pollution. Furthermore, not only is the diversity of insects under threat, but their overall abundance as well, in a phenomenon that has recently been dubbed the “insect apocalypse.”
IMPROVING BIODIVERSITY FOR SUSTAINABLE AGROECOSYSTEMS
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Broadly, I am interested in applications of enhancing biodiversity as it relates to arthropod communities with the goal of enhanced sustainability in mind. With my research, I hope to further investigate the causes of insect decline to better understand the damage we are inflicting on arthropod communities and work to develop methods to sustainably mitigate this damage. Integrated pest management (IPM) in particular is a field that highly values the enhancement of insect biodiversity for purposes including pollination, biological control, and increased resilience of agroecosystems. However, my interest reaches beyond conservation of agroecosystems, extending to other environments as well. Additionally, I believe restoration is an important next step beyond conservation to focus on re-establishing the ecosystems we have already lost.
Past and Current Research
EARLY EXPERIENCE
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Much of my research thus far has revolved around IPM investigating conservation biological control (CBC), which aims to use existing populations of beneficial species in an ecosystem to suppress pests. CBC practices often involve the development of diverse non-crop areas and reduce the need for chemical insecticides, benefiting both farmers and the environment.
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In my first independent research project working as an undergraduate research assistant, I observed the effects of leafhopper-resistant alfalfa cultivars and tall fescue mixtures on epigeal and foliar spider communities within alfalfa fields. This project taught me the basics of IPM entomology research and gave me the opportunity to learn a variety of arthropod sampling and sample processing techniques.
CURRENT RESEARCH
As a Master’s student at the University of Maryland, College Park, my current thesis research centers on exploring the role of ground beetles in agricultural drainage ditch ecosystems. Drainage ditches are a common feature on farms in flood-prone areas such as Maryland’s Delmarva Peninsula and generally serve as existing non-crop field-adjacent habitats with high plant and arthropod biodiversity compared to crop fields. However, their applications in conservation biological control are largely unexplored. Such application could help inform best management practices for land managers, improving biological control ecosystem services and reducing the need for insecticides.
My objective is to assess the potential for using existing ground beetle populations in drainage ditches for biological control of crop pests by investigating the communities of ground beetles within agricultural drainage ditches and their adjacent fields, the movement of ground beetles between ditches and crop fields throughout the growing season, and the effects of straw addition and timing of mowing on ground beetle communities.
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I am interested in methods of enhancing biodiversity to accomplish sustainability goals, and would like to continue to work in this field in the future.
Posters & Presentations
Shokoohi, A. & W.O. Lamp. 2022. Entomological Society of America Eastern Branch Meeting. Philadelphia, PA. “Enhancing biological control by ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) through agricultural drainage ditch management practices.” Oral Presentation
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Shokoohi, A. & W.O. Lamp. 2022. Entomological Society of America Joint Annual Meeting. Vancouver, Canada. “Enhancing biological control by ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) through agricultural drainage ditch management practices" Poster Presentation
First Place - Grad P-IE: Biocontrol
