John Styrsky, Ph.D.
More than birds and bees
I am a broadly trained ecologist with interests that range from behavioral ecology to life-history ecology to community ecology. I have worked extensively with both birds and insects. The most recent focus of my work has been on mutualisms. My work in this area addresses questions about the ecological consequences of mutualisms between ants and honeydew-producing hemipterans, and the novel exploitation of a mutualism between Pseudomyrmex ants and their host plant Acacia by orb-weaving spiders. I address research questions experimentally in both greenhouse and field settings. I also strongly value investigations of basic natural history.
Current projects include:
• Investigating ecological interactions among two orb-weaving spider species in the genus Eustala, their host plants in the genus Acacia, and plant-defending ants in the genus Pseudomyrmex in Panama (2007-present).
• Investigating the ecological interactions among Crematogaster ants, specialist herbivores Aphis vernoniaand a Pyralid species, and the host plant, ironweed in central Virginia (2011- present).
• Investigating the effects of urbanization on the cascading effects of birds on plants via caterpillar predation (in collaboration with Dr. Jeffrey Stratford, Wilkes University) (2011-present).
LC students have made important contributions in my past work and I strongly encourage interested students to contact me about these or other project ideas.
