Aphids in the Time of Global Change by Andrei Alyokhin
Aphids in the Time of Global Change webinar by Andrei Alyokhin which was hosted on Thursday, November 18, 2021.
The first 10 minutes were not recorded - slides can be found here!
Global insect decline is an increasing concern, although the extent and reasons for this phenomenon are still poorly understood. We used a long data set compiled from the records maintained on Aroostook Research Farm to conduct time series analyses of potato-colonizing aphids. We also investigated effects of various biotic and abiotic factors on aphid populations. There was a significant decrease in the numbers of green peach aphids and buckthorn aphids. Introduction and establishment of non-native species of lady beetles, especially Harmonia axyridis, was likely a contributing factor to that decline.
Dr. Andrei Alyokhin received B.S. degree in Education in Biology and Chemistry from Moscow Pedagogical State University in Moscow, Russia. He then completed a Ph.D. in Entomology at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, advised by Dr. David Ferro. After doing post-doctoral work at the University of Hawaii under the supervision of Dr. Russell Messing, he joined faculty at the University of Maine in January of 2001 as an Assistant Professor of Applied Entomology.
He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2007, and then to Professor in 2013. He also served one term as a Director of the School of Biology and Ecology. Dr. Alyokhin is interested in applied insect ecology, behavior, evolution of insecticide resistance, and integrated pest management. He is working mostly in potato agroecosystems, although recently he also started looking at insect mediated recycling of organic wastes. Dr. Alyokhin has authored or co-authored 175 publications, including 80 peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals. He also taught or co-taught Insect Ecology, Pesticides and the Environment, Biological Invasions, Introductory Applied Entomology, Advanced Insect Pest Ecology and Management, Capstone Experience in Biological Sciences, and Professionalism in Biology. In addition, Dr. Alyokhin maintains an extensive outreach program to a variety of stakeholders, including potato growers, other crop production professionals, natural resource managers, K-12 students, and members of the general public. He is a recipient of several professional awards from Entomological Society of America, National Association of County Agricultural Agents, Aroostook County Extension Association, College of Natural Sciences, Food, and Agriculture at the University of Maine, and the U.S. National Park Service.
