The Garnas Lab focuses broadly on better understanding the diversity, frequency, and consequences of novel interactions in forest ecosystems that occur as species ranges shift with biological invasion and climate change. Our study systems include emerald ash borer, beech bark disease, beech leaf disease, and southern pine beetle in forests of the northeastern United States. Our team uses these study systems (among others) to ask a variety of questions about the ecology and evolution of insects and microbes in forest systems.
The Garnas Lab in action!
Garnas Lab News
Introducing Caroline Kanaskie, PhD!
Long-time lab member Caroline Kanaskie defended her PhD in April 2025. In the photo, Caroline and Jeff pose outside the Whittemore Center after the COLSA graduation ceremony in May. Caroline will be joining the faculty of the University of Maine at Fort Kent, where she will be an assistant professor of forestry.
Information behind the publication “Distinct Communities Under the Snow: Describing Characteristics of Subnivium Arthropod Communities” by Chris Ziadeh, MSc
Christopher P Ziadeh, Shayleigh B Ziadeh, Breanne H Aflague, Mark A Townley, Matthew P Ayres, Alexandra R Contosta, Jeff R Garnas. Distinct communities under the snow: describing characteristics of subnivium arthropod communities, Environmental Entomology, 2024; nvae017, https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvae017 Written by Chris Ziadeh ’23G, former Garnas lab technician and master’s student Prior to starting this research, I knew nothing […]
Caroline’s first big paper: community ecology of southern pine beetle on Long Island, New York
PhD candidate Caroline Kanaskie here. I’m proud to share that my first big paper is now available as an advance article in Environmental Entomology! This is the result of my masters research. Kanaskie CR, Dodds KJ, Stephen FM, Garnas JR. 2023. Southern pine beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and its associated insect community: similarities and key differences […]