Insect
Indicators: Ecology, Evolution, Environment
| Ronald
A. Hellenthal
Professor
Ph.D., University of Minnesota |
|
My
research interests fall into three general areas: (1)
Stream energetics and secondary production of stream aquatic
insect communities; (2) Biological indicators of water
quality and the assessment and quality control of environmental
information; and (3) Ectoparasite-host associations and
the use of parasites as indicators of host relationships.
Our recent investigations in streams focus on the importance
of aquatic insects as the source of energy for higher
trophic levels in the stream ecosystem. Using species
and cohort-specific secondary production rate estimates,
we have established the relative contribution of major
insect groups, as well as the overall importance of the
insect community, to stream energetics. In the process,
we have refined and developed methods that permit this
kind of information to be used in the evaluation and comparison
of stream habitats.
One
of my long term interests is the development of means
for ensuring the quality control of environmental information;
especially for providing accurate identifications of aquatic
organisms and for defining ecosystems based on these organisms.
This includes development of computer-based identification
systems for aquatic organisms and programs for the storage,
retrieval, analysis and quality control of environmental
information. Another aspect of "biological indicators"
is the use of parasites as indicators of distributional
and evolutionary changes in host populations. Our studies
of the associations between chewing lice (Mallophaga)
and their mammalian hosts show that analysis of the parasites
can be used to demonstrate differences among host populations
so subtle as to be undetectable except by cellular genetic
analysis.
Most
of our research efforts make extensive use of computers
for both data accumulation and analysis. We are involved
in the development of computer program packages for biodiversity
and environmental data management and systematics research,
environmental prediction and analysis, and automated organism
identification and laboratory procedures.
Selected
Publications:
Hellenthal,
R.A. and Price, R.D. (1991) Biosystematics of the Chewing
Lice of Pocket Gophers. Annual Review of Entomology. 36:185-203.
Hellenthal, R.A. & R.D. Price. (1991) Biosystematics
of the Chewing Lice of Pocket Gophers. Ann. Rev. Entomol.
36:185-203.
Kohlhepp, G.W. & R.A. Hellenthal. (1992) The Effects
of Sediment Desposition on Insect Populations and Production
in a Northern Indiana Stream.pp. 73-84. In: T.P. Simon &
W.S. David (Ed.). Proc. 1991 MidwestPollution Control Biologists
Meeting: Environmental Indicators: Measurement and Assessment
Endpoints.U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region V,
Environmental Sciences Division, Chicago, IL EPA 905/R-92/003.
Berg, M.B. & R.A. Hellenthal. (1992) Life Histories
and Growth of Lotic Chironomids (Diptera: Chironomidae).
Ann. Entomol. Soc. Amer. 85:578-589.
Hellenthal, R.A. & R.D. Price. (1994) Two New Subgenera
of Chewing Lice (Phthiraptera: Trichodectidae) from Pocket
Gophers (Rodentia: Geomyidae), with a Key to All Included
Taxa. J. Med. Entomol. 31:450-466.
Price, R.D. & R.A. Hellenthal. (1996) Taxonomic Importance
of First-instar Chewing Lice (Phthiraptera: Trichodectidae)
from Pocket Gophers (Rodentia: Geomyidae). Ann. Entomol.
Soc. Am. 89:510-518.
Hellenthal, R.A. and Price, R.D. (1999) Mallophaga of the
World. In: K.C.Kim [Ed.] Biodiversity and Taxonomy of Terrestrial
Arthropods: A global Perspective. Universal Book Services,
Neth. In press.
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