Current Members

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Recent Graduates

Rebecca (Brown) Sam. Becky's interests focused on the phylogeny and biogeography of Edwardsininae, a subfamily of Blephariceridae (Diptera) containing two genera, Edwardsina and Paulianina. While Blephariceridae are found on all continents excluding Antarctica, and on several continental islands (ex: Madagascar, New Zealand, Sri Lanka), Edwardsininae is confined to South America, Madagascar, Australia, and Tasmania, exhibiting a Gondwanan distribution. Becky conducted a systematic revision of the genus Paulianina, which is endemic to Madagascar. Recent collecting has greatly increased the number of known species. While Paulianina was thought to be monophyletic, there remained questions regarding the monophyly of the two subgenera within Paulianina, Paulianina (sensu stricto), and Eupaulianina. Becky's research addressed this question using morphological and molecular data sets. Becky was also a presenter for the Insect Zoo, an educational outreach program facilitated through the Department of Entomology.

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Jessica (Davis) Petersen. The lab's most recent graduate (July 2010), Jess focused on combining an understanding of macroecological patterns with macroevolutionary processes. Her Ph.D. project examined aspects of taxonomy, evolution and ecology to form a rather complete picture of one group of flies. The first and most basic part included a systematic revision of a little known, semi-aquatic group of crane flies (Diptera, Tipuloidea). Her revision included an analysis of the evolutionary relationships among species of Neophylidorea by creating a phylogeny using molecular and morphological characters. This phylogeny provided a foundation to investigate macroecological patterns in an evolutionary framework. Jess took a top-down approach by first looking at broad scale climate envelopes which may be limiting the ecological distribution of species of Neophylidorea. From there she delved into smaller spatial scale questions about modes of speciation, interactions such as competition, historical biogeography, dispersal ability, extinctions, invasion potential, and responses to future climate change. Jess also led the Adopt-a-Trap: Iowa Insect Survey Project, which used a series of Malaise traps and the assistance of many students, educators and volunteers to gather baseline data on the state's insect fauna. Additional information about these and other projects is available at Jess' personal website. Jess currently is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Cornell University.

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Matthew Petersen. Matt was interested in how the ecological adaptations and biogeographic distributions of crane flies (Tipuloidea; Diptera) have been affected by their evolutionary history. Crane flies, a diverse clade containing over 15,000 species, have radiated to occupy a broad spectrum of larval habitats. While much work has been done to understand species richness, considerably less attention as been given to the taxonomy and classification of the group. This lack of attention has led to many problematic taxonomic divisions and maintenance of numerous paraphyletic genera. Matt's research addressed the problematic taxonomic structure while simultaneously examining why there is such diversity within this clade of flies. Through a cladistic analysis utilizing both morphological and molecular characters, his work provided a framework by which the taxonomy of the group will be based. This revised taxonomic framework provides insight into the origin of complex ecological adaptations and helps elucidate whether certain adaptations have created the observed species richness. Matt also conducted a systematic revision of the genus Lipsothrix. Matt completed his Ph.D. in 2008 and currently is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Cornell University.

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Matthew Wihlm. Matt conducted research on the Axymyiidae, a presumedly rare group of semi-aquatic flies. Matt's Masters research focused on Axymyia furcata, a species found in small streams, where the larvae tunnel through decaying hardwood logs. Through recent surveys, we found populations of this species throughout eastern North America, including Iowa and 9 other states where the family had not been previously recorded. Matt analyzed morphological and molecular characters in order to decipher whether or not more than one species of Axymyia is present, and to evaluate the phylogeography of resident populations. Matt also investigated the number of larval instars, larval densities, phenologies, and other life history characteristics. Besides working in the Systematics lab, Matt was the Rearing Room Supervisor in the ISU Insect Zoo. Matt completed his M.S. in 2009.