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
Bre Aflague successfully defends her MSc!
May 24, 2019 Congrats to Bre who did an awesome job on what was NOT an easy project. More good things to come!
Blog post in Myrmecological News
January 24, 2019 Check out a blog post written by Jeff Garnas on colony social structure in the invasive European fire ant, Myrmica rubra. Super-abundant and with a nasty sting, this ant is still near and dear to Jeff’s heart as the subject of his Masters work at the University of Maine.
Eric Morrison arrives for a postdoc!
October 10, 2018 Dr. Eric Morrison has joined the lab to investigate the fungal community ecology of the beech bark disease system (using a amplicon sequencing approach) and to examine the land genetics of associated Neonectria pathogens. Welcome Eric!