Management & Biological Control Research Unit

USDA-ARS, Arid-Land Agricultural Research Center

Jackie L. Blackmer Research Entomologist Arid-Land Agricultural Research Center 21881 North Cardon Lane Maricopa, Arizona 85239 520-316-6334 520-316-6330 (FAX) jacquelyn.blackmer@ars.usda.gov

Education:

B.S. Forest Entomology/Botany, State Univ. New York-College of Environmental Science and Forestry 1979

M.S. Entomology, University of Idaho 1986

Ph.D. Entomology, The Ohio State University – Ohio Agricultural and Research Development Center 1991

Research Interests:

My areas of expertise include insect-plant interactions, insect migration, and chemical and nutritional ecology. My current research focuses on Lygus bug host-orientation behaviors and dispersal. We have conducted comparative studies on the flight potential of Lygus hesperus and Lygus lineolaris using tethered and untethered flight assays, and will be continuing to determine how various biotic and abiotic factors influence their movement. Y-tube olfactometer bioassays have been conducted to compare the response of naïve and experienced Lygus bugs to headspace volatiles of vegetative and flowering alfalfa with or without conspecifics, and with or without visual plant cues.  Volatile components have been identified by GC/MS, and their activity are being tested under laboratory and field conditions.  An additional project focuses on developing a better understanding of the nutritional requirements of insect pests by examining how variations in host-plants chemistry influence life-history traits. Analyses of carbohydrates and amino acids found in plant sap are helping us unravel these relationships.  A final project focuses on glassy-winged sharpshooter dispersal and host-plant interactions.  Mark-recapture studies, using IgG protein-marked and fluorescent-marked sharpshooters, have helped us determine the importance of various biotic and abiotic factors.