The Insect Physiology & Behavior Research Group (IPBRG), headed by Spence Behmer, studies insect physiology and behavior, including their ecological and evolutionary bases. Our approach is "bottom-up", with an emphasis on using individual behavior as a tool to understand physiological and higher-level processes. Our lab pursues three broadly defined areas of research:

     1) physiological ecology

     2) insect sterol (cholesterol) biology

     3) mechanisms of learning

We use a number of different insects in our research, including grasshoppers, caterpillars, aphids and ants.

Please explore our site and feel free to contact us if you have any questions. Prospective students and postdocs can click here to learn more about opportunities in the lab.

*** The Behmer Lab has a graduate research assistantship (MS or PhD) starting ***
Spring/Summer 2010, as part of a recently funded USDA-CSREES-AFRI grant.

Research will center on the nutritional physiology of hemipteran insects;
previous experience with aphids or other hemipterans is preferred.

Click here for more information; all inquires should be sent to Spence Behmer

Dec 09 - Karl just succesfully defended his thesis. Congrats Karl!

Dec 09 - Spence's paper (with Eric Janson, Robert Grebenok & Patrick Abbot) on sterol
     metabolism in a community of insect herbivores is available on-line (J. Chem. Ecol.).

Dec 09 - Steve's paper on colony-level nutrient regulation has been accepted for publication
     in Animal Behaviour (will appear in the March 2010 issue).

Nov 09 - Steve's paper on ant forgaing in the field is accepted for publication in Biotropica.

Oct 09 - Karl's paper (his first) on microbial growth inhibitors for caterpillar diets has been
     accepted for publication in the Journal of Insect Science.

Behmer, S.T. (2009) Insect herbivore nutrient regulation. Annual Review of
     Entomology 54, 165-187. (click here for a free PDF)

Behmer, S.T. and Joern, A. (2008) Coexisting generalist herbivores occupy unique
     nutritional feeding niches. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
     USA 105, 1977-1982. [pdf]

Pompilio, L., Kacelnik, A. and Behmer, S.T. (2006) State-dependent learned valuation
     drives choice in an invertebrate. Science 313, 1613-1615. [pdf]

Warbrick-Smith, J., Behmer, S.T., Lee, K.P., Raubenheimer, D. and Simpson, S.J.
     (2006) Evolving resistance to obesity in an insect. Proceedings of the National
     Academy of Sciences, USA 103, 14045-14049. [pdf]

Behmer, S.T. and Nes, W.D. (2003) Insect sterol nutrition and physiology: a global
     overview. Advances in Insect Physiology 31, 1-72. [pdf]

For a full list of publications, click here...

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