Kailen A. MooneyAssistant Professor, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology |
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Research Interests |
community ecology, evolutionary ecology, plant-insect interactions | |
| URL | Lab website: tritrophic.org | |
| Appointments | Postdoctoral Researcher, Cornell University, Dept. Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Anurag A. Agrawal Lab (www.herbivory.com), 2005-2007 | |
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Research Abstract |
I use manipulative field experiments and to study the interactions between plants, arthropods and insectivorous birds in both ecological and evolutionary contexts. Traits of plants (e.g. defensive chemistry, morphology) influence whole communities of arthropods from the ‘bottom-up’, while predators influence the same communities from the ‘top-down’. These two influences have traditionally been considered separately. Plant defense theory has been bi-trophic in nature, focusing on the pairwise plant-herbivore interaction without explicitly addressing the community context in which the interaction is embedded. At the same time, community ecology has addressed the top-down effects of predators without considering how plant traits affect food web structure. The goal of my research is to conceptually unite community and evolutionary ecology. To do this, I ask how heritable plant traits influence interaction networks among herbivores, herbivore mutualists, and predators, and in turn how such networks drive the microevolution of plant defense. Methodologically, I model the results of long-term and large-scale field experiments using a combination of quantitative genetic and multivariate statistical techniques. By incorporating complex dynamics into my experiments, I rigorously test theory while simultaneously collecting detailed natural history observations as the basis for refining and pushing forward those same theories. |
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| Publications |
__2012______________________________________________________ Daniels, E.V. , Mooney, K.A., Reed, R.D. In press. Seasonal wing color plasticity varies dramatically between buckeye butterfly populations in different climatic zones. Ecological Entomology Petry, W.K., Perry, K.I. & Mooney, K.A. In press. Influence of macronutrient imbalance on native ant foraging and inter-specific interactions in the field. Ecological Entomology Singer, M.C., Farkas, T.E.*, Skorik, C.M.* and Mooney, K.A. In press. Tri-trophic interactions at a community level: Effects of host-plant species quality on bird predation of caterpillars. American Naturalist Mooney, K.A. & Singer. M.C. In press. Plant variation in herbivore-enemy interactions in natural systems. In: Ohgushi, T., Schmitz, O. & Holt, R.D. Interaction Richness and Complexity: Ecological and Evolutionary Aspects of Trait-Mediated Indirect Interactions. Oxford University Press __2011______________________________________________________ Mooney, K.A. 2011. Genetically based population variation in aphid association with ants and predators. Arthropod-Plant Interactions 5: 1-7. __2010______________________________________________________ Mooney, K.A., Linhart, Y.B., and Snyder, M.A. In press. Masting in ponderosa pine: comparisons of pollen and seed over space and time. Oecologia Mooney, K.A., Halitschke, R., Kessler, A. and Agrawal, AA. 2010. Evolutionary trade-offs in plants mediate the strength of trophic cascades. Science. 237: 1642-1644 Mooney, K.A., Gruner, D.S., Barber, N.A., Van Bael, S.A., Philpott, S.M., and Greenbrerg, R. 2010. Interactions among predators and the cascading effects of vertebrate insectivores on arthropod communities and plants. PNAS 107: 7335-7340 Mooney, K.A. and Mandal, K. 2010. Competition hierarchies among ants and predation by birds jointly determine the strength of multi-species ant-aphid mutualisms. Oikos. 119:874-882 __2009______________________________________________________ Ness, J. Mooney, K.A. and Lach, L. 2009. Ants as Mutualists. In: Ant Ecology, Oxford University Press __2008______________________________________________________ Smith, R.A., Mooney, K.A. and Agrawal, A.A. 2008. Coexistence of three specialist aphids on common milkweed Asclepias syriaca. Ecology. 89:2187-2196 Mooney, K.A., Agrawal, A.A. 2008. Plant genotype shapes ant-aphid interactions: implications for community structure and indirect plnt defense. American Naturalist. E195-E205 (E-only) Van Bael, S.A., Philpott, S.M., Greenberg, R., Bichier, P. Barber, N.A., Mooney, K.A., Gruner, D.S. 2008. Birds as predators in tropical agroforestry systems. Ecology. Mooney, K.A., Jones, P., Agrawal, A.A. 2008. Coexisting congeners: demography, competition, and interactions with cardenolides for two milkweed-feeding aphids. Oikos 117:450-458. __2007______________________________________________________ Mooney, K.A. 2007. Tritrophic effects of birds and ants on a canopy food web, tree growth and phytochemistry. Ecology 88: 2005-2014 Agrawal, A.A., Ackerly, D.D., Adler, F. Arnold, B., Caceres, C., Doak, D.F., Post, E., Hudson, P., Maron, J., Mooney, K.A., Power, M., Schemske, D., Stachowicz, J., Strauss, S., Turner, M.G., Werner, E. 2007. In support of observational studies - Reply. Frotiers in Ecology and the Environment 5: 294-295 Agrawal, A.A., Ackerly, D.D., Adler, F. Arnold, B., Caceres, C., Doak, D.F., Post, E., Hudson, P., Maron, J., Mooney, K.A., Power, M., Schemske, D., Stachowicz, J., Strauss, S., Turner, M.G., Werner, E. 2007. Filling key gaps in population and community ecology. Frotiers in Ecology and the Environment 5: 145-152 Mooney, K.A., Agrawal, A.A. 2007. Phenotypic plasticity in plant-herbivore interactions. In: Tilmon, K., ed. Specialization, Speciation, and Radiation. University of California Press. Pp. 43-59 __2006______________________________________________________ Mooney, K.A., Linhart, Y.B., Geils, B. 2006. Linking parasitic plant-induced host morphology to tri-trophic interactions. Ann. Ent. Soc. Am. 99: 1133-1138. Mooney, K.A. 2006. The disruption of an ant-aphid mutualism increases the effects of insectivorous birds on pine herbivores. Ecology 87: 1805-1815. Mooney, K.A., Linhart, Y.B. 2006. Contrasting cascades: Insectivorous birds increase pine but not parasitic mistletoe growth. J. Animal Ecology 75: 350-357. Mooney, K.A., Haloin, J.R. 2006. Size and guarding of offspring affect Paraphidippus aurantius (Araneae, Salticidae) response to predation threat. J. Arachnology 34: 98-103. Mooney, K.A., Haloin, J.R. 2006. Nest site fidelity of Paraphidippus aurantius (Araneae, Salticidae) following disturbance. J. Arachnology 34: 241-243. __2005______________________________________________________ Linhart, Y.B., Keefover-Ring, K., Mooney, K.A. et al. 2005. A Chemical Polymorphism in a Multi-trophic Setting: Thyme Monoterpene Composition and Food Web Structure. American Naturalist 166: 517-529. Mooney, K.A., Tillberg, C.V. 2005. Temporal and spatial variation to ant omnivory in pine canopies. Ecology 86: 1225-1235. __2003______________________________________________________ Mooney, K.A. 2003. Promylea lunigerella glendella Dyar (Pyralidae) feeds on both conifers and parasitic dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium spp.): One example of food plant shifting between parasitic plants and their hosts. J. Lep. Soc. 57: 47-53. __2002______________________________________________________ Mooney, K.A. 2002. Quantifying habitat use by birds in woody vegetation using track-plating. J. Field Ornithology 73:392-398. __2001______________________________________________________ Linhart, Y.B. , Mooney, K.A., Snyder, M.A., Swoboda-Colberg, N. 2001. Phloem Chemistry: Effects of genotype and environment and implications for nutritional ecology. Int. J. Plant Sci. 162(5): 1009-1016. Mooney, K.A. 2001. The Life History of Dasypyga alternosquamella Raganot (Pyralidae) feeding on the southwestern dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium vaginatum) in Colorado. J. Lep. Soc. 55: 144-149. |
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Professional Societies |
Ecological Society of America Entomological Society of America Xerces Society |
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| Research Center | Center for Environmental Biology | |
| Link to this profile | http://www.faculty.uci.edu/profile.cfm?faculty_id=5484 | |
| Last updated | 01/09/2012 | |