M. Laurie Henneman

Research Scientist, Biology
Adjunct professor, Biology and Music

Collecting caterpillars in the Alaka`i Swamp

ADDRESS: 211 Block Hall Department of Environmental Sciences The University of Montana - Western 710 South Atlantic St. Dillon, Montana 59725 (406) 683-7263 fax: (406) 683-7493 Email: l_henneman@umwestern.edu

Education

Ph.D.: University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (minor in Entomology), 1997.
Dissertation: "Sensory cue use by insects associated with Arizona walnut."

A.B.: Princeton University, Princeton, NJ. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 1990. (Sigma Xi)
Senior Thesis: "Search for sucrose by foragers of Formica schaufussi (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)."

Other Positions

Adjunct Professor, Department of Science and Mathematics, Green Mountain College, Poultney, Vermont, 2001-2002.

Postdoctoral Research Assistant, Department of Biological Sciences, Bristol University, Bristol, England, 1998-2001.

Visiting Scholar, University of Hawai`i Agricultural Research Center, Wailua, Kaua`i, 1998-2001.

Courses Taught

• Current:
  • Invasive Species (BIO 222), Block 7 or 8, odd years.
    Examines biological, ethical, political, and economic issues associated with the introduction of alien species, through readings, papers, class discussions, and field trips.
    

  • Entomology (BIO 273), Block 1, odd years.
    A field- and laboratory-based course covering insect systematics, ecology, and behavior.

  • Jazz band (MUS 117/317), every semester (can be taken repeatedly).
    This is a small group jazz performance class, any instrument welcome, with emphasis on jazz improvisation. Can be taken for 1 credit (general education) or not. Rehearsals are weekly throughout the semester. There are performances at two regular campus concerts per semester, as well as additional gigs (we have performed at the SUB, Women's Resource Center rummage sale, campus Mardi Gras dinner; our 2005 schedule included the University of Montana Jazz Festival and Southwest Montana Arts Council Concert in the Park series).

• Previous:
  • Zoology (BIO 151), Fall 2003 (course discontinued).

  • Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II (BIO 371 and BIO 372), 2003-2004.

  • Insect Behavior: University of Arizona graduate-level course, General Biology Masters Program for Secondary School Biology Teachers.
    Emphasis on husbandry and use of local insects in classrooms to teach biological concepts. (Summer 1998)

  • Biodiversity Outreach (teaching assistant): Undergraduate teacher training course in which students developed projects designed to teach elementary and high school students about conservation and biological diversity. (Spring 1997)

Education and Outreach

Rural Schools Science Fair, Judge, Dillon, MT.	2004-2005
Insect Expo, Pacific Entomology Conference, Honolulu, HI.	1999
SEEK: Summer Education and Enrichment for Kids (University of Arizona Extended University): "Arizona Insects", a two-week summer course for school children (grades 4-8) on ecology and behavior of local insect species, using live specimens.	1997
Conducted experiment with a fourth grade class in Tucson, Arizona. Students at Hollinger Elementary planted 85 walnut seeds and monitored the germination rate among different treatments. Data were included as part of my dissertation.	1996
SMART: Science, Math, and Related Technologies program, Sahuaro Girl Scout Council, Tucson, Arizona: presentation on ecology and behavior of insects associated with Arizona walnut tree.	1996
Science-By-Mail program, Boston Museum of Science.	1994-1996
Numerous classroom presentations of local insects including behavior, ecology, and conservation issues, grades 3-10.	1994-2001

Research Interests and Experience

1. Invasive species and food webs

   From 1998-2001 I was a postdoctoral research associate working with Jane Memmott of the University of Bristol, England, on a rain forest community on the island of Kaua`i, Hawai`i. Many parasitic wasps have been introduced to the Hawaiian islands for biological pest control. Through systematic collection and rearing of caterpillars in the Alaka`i Swamp, we discovered that several biocontrol agents were attacking native moth species heavily, in a native habitat miles from agricultrual areas (see Science News of the Week article). We are continuing this work by looking at other sources of mortality for Alaka`i Swamp moths, in order to place the importance of attack by alien parasitoids in a broader context. In collaboration with UM Western math professors Eric Dyreson and Eric Funasaki, I am also working on a computer simulation model of the interactions in the Alaka`i Swamp food web, in order to study the potential long-term effects of invasion of an ecosystem by alien species.

   I have produced a website from this work, Moths of the Alaka`i Swamp, that contains pictures and natural history of nearly all the species (100+) in our foodweb.

   Although their effects on oceanic islands can be particularly devastating, invasive species are now recognized to be a problem in nearly every ecosystem in the world. Here in Montana I am submitting grants to pursue research on food webs involving local invasive species, particularly Dalmatian toadflax (Linaria dalmatica).

2. Insect Behavior

   My other main interest is in insect behavioral ecology, especially that of insect parasitoids (which kill other insects by developing within them). I have found that both visual and odor information can be important to a female parasitic wasp looking for a host insect, into which she will lay an egg. Parasitic wasps are especially remarkable in their ability to remember odor and visual cues.

   I have also studied the egg-laying behavior of butterflies and beetles, and the feeding behavior of giant water bugs (Belostomatidae), and several species of ants.

3. Systematics of Hawaiian Moths and Wasps

   As part of my community research in Hawai`i, I developed a sideline interest in Hawaiian moth and wasp taxonomy. Most of the 5000+ known insect species native to Hawai`i are endemic there, meaning they are found nowhere else in the world. A good number of these still remain to be described. Wasps in general have been studied very little, with the exception of a few genera. Certain enormous endemic genera, such as the moth genus Hyposmocoma (Cosmopterigidae), have 300 known species and probably two or three times as many unknown species. As part of my (hopefully) ongoing research in Hawai`i I hope to add to the knowledge we have of these groups.

   
   
   Several of the hundreds of moth species found in the Alaka`i Swamp

Undergraduate Research

Publications (click links for pdf versions)

Sheppard, S.K., Henneman, M.L., Memmott, J. and Symondson, W.O.C., 2004. Infiltration by alien predators into invertebrate food webs in Hawaii: a molecular approach. Molecular Ecology 13(7):2077-2088.

Henneman, M.L., Dyreson, E.G., Takabayashi, J, and Raguso, R.A., 2002. Use of fruit damage visual and olfactory cues in host location by the parasitoid Diachasmimorpha juglandis. Journal of Chemical Ecology 28:2221-2244.

Henneman, M.L. and Memmott, J., 2001. Infiltration of a Hawaiian community by introduced biological control agents. Science 293:1314-1316.

Henneman, M.L. and Papaj, D.R., 1999. Role of host fruit color in the behavior of Rhagoletis juglandis (Diptera: Tephritidae). Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 93:247-256.

Henneman, M.L., 1998. Maximization of host encounters by parasitoids foraging in the field: females can use a simple rule. Oecologia 116:467-474.

Henneman, M.L., 1996. Host location by the parasitic wasp Biosteres juglandis (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) under field and greenhouse conditions. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 69:76-84.

Howard, J.J., Henneman, M.L., Cronin, G.A., Fox, J.A., and Hormiga, G., 1996. Conditioning of scouts and recruits during foraging by a leafcutting ant, Atta columbica. Animal Behavior 52:299-306.

Henneman, M.L., Papaj, D.R., Figueredo, A.J., and Vet, L.E.M., 1995. Egg laying experience and the acceptance of parasitized hosts by the parasitoid, Leptopilina heterotoma (Hymenoptera: Eucoilidae). Journal of Insect Behavior 8:331-342.

Traniello, J.F.A., Beshers, S.N., Fourcassié, V., Loh, H.-S, and Henneman, L. 1990. Search behavior in the ant Formica schaufussi: social regulation and ecology of individual patterns. Symposium 24: Foraging Strategies, 11th International Congress of IUSSI, Bangalore, India.

Photos by Jane Memmott.

This page maintained by L. Henneman. Last updated: Wednesday, December 6, 2006