Shawn Steffan

Education:
Ph.D. Entomology – Washington State University, 2009
MS Entomology – University of Wisconsin-Madison,1997
BA Environmental Science – University of California-Berkeley,1993

Affiliations:
Research Entomologist, USDA-ARS

Research Interests:
As a Research Entomologist with the USDA-ARS, as well as a UW faculty member in the Dept. of Entomology, my work centers on basic and applied aspects of cranberry entomology and ecology. Studies are designed to refine IPM strategies while providing a mechanistic understanding of key ecosystem functions.

Through national and international collaborations with both public and private institutions/companies, my team is focusing on innovative crop protection strategies while doing basic science.

Near-term studies focus on biological, cultural, and chemical controls of the major insect pests of cranberry, with particular emphases on 1) pheromone-based mating disruption programs for the top cranberry pests in Wisconsin; 2) phenology of Sparganothis fruitworm, black-headed fireworm, and cranberry fruitworm; 3) refinement of flood-timing as an IPM strategy; 4) flea beetle biology and control.

Longer-term studies involve the analysis of community composition and trophic structure (the foodweb) of the cranberry system.  This work will allow us to measure the “trophic niches” of an arthropod community (i.e., who tends to eat whom), which may differ between cultivated and wild/feral cranberry populations, as well as between decades (an effect of climate change). Differing trophic signatures may serve as indicators of desirable horticultural traits in a cranberry population, which ultimately could facilitate the development of improved cranberry varieties.

Research Category: Applied