Postdoctoral Research Associate
Department of Entomology
Minnie Belle Heep Building, Rm 507a
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX 77843-2475
Phone: (979) 845-0350
Fax: (979) 845-6305
E-mail
A bit about my research interests
I am an entomology PhD student being co-supervised by Greg Sword. I am an ecologist by trade, with an ever increasing interest in insects. I’ve serendipitously worked with insects in many research projects and have found them to be extremely useful for many types of questions. My interests broadly lie in the field of nutritional ecology. I did my Master’s research at St. Cloud State, in MN, where I looked at the influence of dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus ratios on mayfly (Baetis) growth. Most of my research has related to ecological stoichiometry in aquatic systems; however, for my doctoral work I would like to focus on the relationship between nutrition and insect life history in terrestrial systems. More specifically, I am interested in how macronutrient and sterol availability affect longevity and susceptibility to stress in hemipterans (sucking insects). I am also fascinated by the “non-nutritional” aspects of food, and how resource composition can function as an indicator of environmental conditions, often inducing physiological changes in the consumer that are independent of nutrient limitation.
Training and Education
Ph.D in Entomology (Texas A&M University, 2015)
M.S. in Ecology (St. Cloud State University, 2011)
B.A. in Biology and B.A. in Environmental Studies (University of St. Thomas, 2005)
Publications
Deans, C.A., Behmer, S.T., Tessnow, A.E., Tamez-Guerra, P., Pusztai-Carey, M. and Sword, G.A.
(2017) Nutrition affects insect susceptibility to Bt toxins. Scientific Reports 7, 39705. [pdf]
Deans, C.A., Behmer, S.T., Fiene, J. and Sword, G.A. (2016) Spatio-temporal, genotypic, and
environmental effects on plant soluble protein and digestible carbohydrate content:
implications for insect herbivores with cotton as an exemplar. Journal of Chemical
Ecology, 42, 1151-1163. [pdf]
Deans, C.A., Sword, GA and Behmer, S.T. (2016) Nutrition as a neglected factor in insect herbivore
susceptibility to Bt toxins. Current Opinion in Insect Science 15, 97-103. [pdf]
Deans, C.A., Sword, G.A. and Behmer, S.T. (2015) Revisiting macronutrient regulation in the
polyphagous herbivore Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae): New insights via
nutritional geometry. Journal of Insect Physiology 81, 21-27. [pdf]
Deans, C.A., Behmer, S.T., Kay, A. and Voelz, N. (2015) The influence of enrichment and
dissolved N:P ratios on mayfly (Baetis spp.) growth in high-nutrient detritus-based streams.
Hydrobiologia 742, 298-308. [pdf]