Jan. 23, 2013
The seminar will take place from 12:10 to 1 p.m. in Room 1022 of the Life Sciences Addition, corner of Hutchison and Kleiber Hall drives. De Barro will be covering the silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) from biotype to species. His host is Michael Parrella, professor and chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology.
De Barro, known for his expertise of pest insect ecology and systematics, is the theme leader of the Biosecurity and Invasive Species for CSIRO, or the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Australia’s national body for scientific research.
His abstract:
“The identity of Bemisia tabaci is a taxonomic question that goes back to 1889 and involves one of the world’s most important pests of agriculture, which despite its importance, has remained a taxonomic puzzle. Each year it destroys billions of dollars worth of crops in both developed and developing economies across Africa, Asia and the Americas. In developing economies, it reduces the ability for communities to be self-sufficient in terms of food production and reduces their capacity to generate the cash essential to alleviating poverty.
“Yet despite its global importance, its taxonomy remains confused. Is it a single species with varying populations that exhibit different biological characteristics (i.e. biotypes) or a complex of morphologically similar species with different biological characteristics? This may seem an esoteric argument, but the answer has a significant bearing on the applicability and transferability of management practices between regions where the pest occurs, as these usually depend on insect biology, behavior, natural enemies interactions and responses to agricultural chemicals; what works for certain populations may be ineffective for other populations. This presentation provides a summary of our understanding of the species complex and some the new learnings that are emerging as a result of the emerging new lens through which top view this pest.”
De Barro joined CSIRO in 1994 as a visiting scientist and went on to establish CSIRO’s research on the newly invading whitefly pest, silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia tabaci MEAM1). He has since built an internationally recognized reputation for his research on this pest, which he describes as “a cryptic species complex that includes two globally invasive whiteflies that have inflicted considerable damage on agriculture around the world.”
His research has developed insights into the pest’s biology and ecology. In addition, he has considerable experience in biological control of the silverleaf whitefly and was responsible for the Australian introduction of the parasitoid, Eretmocerus hayati, proven to be a highly effective control agent.
In addition to his research on whiteflies, de Barro has been closely involved in research on biosecurity threat identification and prioritization. As part of this research. he developed an interest in risk analysis and applied that to the assessment of risks posed by the release of Wolbachia-infected mosquito, Aedes aegypti. This has since seen a growing interest in the association between vector ecology and human health.
De Barro received his bachelor of agricultural science degree, with honors, in entomology and biochemistry, from the University of Adelaide, South Australia, in 1985. He received his doctorate from the University of Adelaide in 1992.
De Barro has published more than 70 papers in journals such as:
- Science
- Bioscience
- Nature Communications
- Annual Review of Entomology
- PLOS One
- Biological Invasions
- Journal of Animal Ecology
- Journal of Applied Ecology
- Ecological Applications
- Molecular Ecology and Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution
- Annals of the Entomological Society of America
- Bulletin of Entomological Research.
Awarded the CSIRO medal for research achievement, de Barro is currently an adjunct professor in the Department of Biological Invasion, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. He is also an editor of Bulletin of Entomological Research.
--Kathy Keatley Garvey
Communications specialist
UC Davis Department of Entomology
(530) 754-6894