DAVIS--Matt Daugherty, an assistant Extension specialist and principal investigator at the University of California, Riverside, will speak on "The Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter: Understanding the Impact of an Invasive Vector: Transmission, Behavior, and Pathogen Spread"--at the April 29th seminar hosted by the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.

His seminar is from 12:10 to 1 p.m. in 122 Briggs Hall. Professor Jay Rosenheim is the host.

"Invasive arthropod vectors may threaten natural ecosystems, agriculture, or human health by promoting either new outbreaks of novel pathogens or more severe outbreaks of native pathogens," Daughtery, says in his abstract. "In California vineyards, the glassy-winged sharpshooter (Homalodisca vitripennis) is considered a major pest because it is a vector of Xylella fastidiosa, an endemic bacterial pathogen that causes Pierce's disease.

"I have been working to understand the mechanism by which this invasive vector is able to drive more severe disease outbreaks than are native sharpshooters. Experiments have included comparative tests of transmission efficiency among sharpshooter species, characterization of vector behavior with respect to host infection status, estimates of pathogen spread and the role of seasonality, and tests of the efficacy of vector control at limiting pathogen spread. Collectively, the results suggest that H. vitripennis is not inherently efficient at transmitting or spreading the pathogen relative to its native counterparts. Rather, this invader's ability to promote severe disease outbreaks likely stems from its ability to achieve high population densities in certain environments--an outcome that can be mitigated via biological and chemical control."

Daugherty received his bachelor's degree in biological sciences, with a minor in geology, in 1995 from UC Davis, and his master's degree in biological sciences in 2000 from Illinois State University. He earned his doctorate in integrative biology in 2006 from UC Berkeley. He served as a postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley's Department of Environmental Sciences, Policy & Management from 2006 to 2009 and then became a USDA postdoctoral fellow there in 2008-2009. Daughtery joined the faculty of UC Riverside's Department of Entomology in 2009.

Among his most recent publications: 

Zeilinger, A., and M.P. Daugherty 2014. Vector preference and host defense against infection interact to determine disease dynamics. Oikos 123:613-622.

Coletta-Filho, H., Daugherty, M.P., Ferreira, C., and J. Lopes. 2014. Temporal progression of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus infection in citrus and acquisition efficiency by Diaphorina citri. Phytopathology 104:416-421.

Rathé, A.A., Pilkington, L.J., Hoddle, M.S., Spohr, L.J., Daugherty, M.P., and G.M. Gurr 2014. Feeding and development of the glassy-winged sharpshooter, Homalodisca vitripennis, on Australian native plant species in the USA and implications for Australian biosecurity. PLoS One 9:e90410.

Rashed, A., Kwan, J., Baraff, B., Ling, D., Daugherty, M.P., Killiny, N., and R.P.P. Almeida 2013. Relative susceptibility of Vitis vinifera cultivars to vector-borne Xylella fastidiosa through time. PLoS One 8:e55326.

Gruber, B.R., and M.P. Daugherty 2013. Predicting the effects of seasonality on the risk of pathogen spread in vineyards: vector pressure, natural infectivity, and host recovery. Plant Pathology 62:194-204.

Rathé, A.A., Pilkington, L.J., Gurr, G.M., Hoddle, M.S., Daugherty, M.P., Constable F.E., Luck, J.E., Powell, K.S., Fletcher, M.J., and O.R. Edwards 2012. Incursion preparedness: anticipating the arrival of an economically important plant pathogen Xylella fastidiosa Wells (Proteobacteria: Xanthomonadaceae) and the insect vector Homalodisca vitripennis (Germar) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) in Australia. Australian Journal of Entomology 51:209-220.