S. Bradleigh Vinson

Title:  Professor

Education:

• B.S. at the Ohio State University
• Ph.D. at Mississippi State University

Research Emphasis: Research is directed toward the physiology and behavior of parasitic insects (parasitoids) in relation to tritrophic interactions in host selection and host regulation (including polydnavirus), biology and management of the imported fire ant, and the chemical ecology of solitary bees.

Brief Paragraph of Research/Teaching/Extension Activity: Research on host selection focuses on the behavior of parasitoid hymenoptera that includes the isolation and identification of cues from the hosts food or habitat (plant), the host, and associated organisms. Research on host regulation includes the effect of polydnaviruses, venoms, teratocytes, and other parasitoid-derived factors on the host's physiology with a focus on the host's endocrine, immune, and other systems that impact parasitoid growth and development. Research includes the development of parasitoid in vitro rearing. Imported fire ant research focuses on the biology and physiology of both monogyne and polygyne forms; their impact on man and his interests; their impact on the ecosystem focusing on seeds, insects, and small mammals; and the development and evaluation of management approaches to control through biological control agents and pesticides. The chemical ecology of solitary bees focuses on the nesting and male reproductive strategies of bees in the family Apidae (Centris and Xylocopidae).

Selected Publications:
Stoltz, D. B. and S. B. Vinson. 1979. Viruses and parasitism in insects. Adv. Virus Res. 24: 125-171.

Vinson, S. B. and G. F. Iwantsch. 1980. Host regulation by insect parasitoids. Quart. Rev. Biol. 55: 143-165.

Vinson, S. B. 1984. Parasitoid-host relationships. pp. 205-233. In: "The Chemical Ecology of Insects." (W. J. Bell and R. Carde, eds.). Chapman and Hall, New York. 524 pp.

Vinson, S. B. and L. Greenberg. 1986. The biology, physiology and ecology of imported fire ants. pp. 193-226. In: "Economic Impact and Control of Social Insects." (S. B. Vinson, ed). Praeger Press, New York. 421 pp.

Vinson, S. B., G. W. Frankie, and J. Barthell. 1993. Threats to the diversity of solitary bees in a neotropical dry forest in Central America. pp. 53-81. In: "Hymenoptera and Biodiversity", (J. LaSalle and E. Gould, Eds.). CAB International, Wallingford, UK.