Dr Jeff Garnas

Senior Lecturer

About

Ecology and evolution of insects and microbes on native and exotic trees

I am a ecologist, entomologist and evolutionary biologist focused on questions related to insects and fungi that interact with plants, primarily forest trees. I use a variety of approaches and tools, including observational studies, field and lab experiments, modeling and molecular analyses to test hypotheses and search for strong inference in the systems I study. I approach ecological and evolutionary questions using a strong theoretical framework while producing and communicating products that will have applied value to conservation and to land and forest managers. In particular, I am interested in drivers of host use and community overlap among native and exotic tree species, patterns of population genetic diversity in native and introduced insects and fungi, and the role of complex interactions in driving forest insect population and community dynamics.

Increasingly, my work sits at the interface between field ecology and ecological and evolutionary genetics and genomics. I am particularly interested in understanding the patterns and consequences of global invasion of insects and microbes linked to the intentional cultivation of exotic trees, which inevitably results in the creation of novel ecosystems.

Highlights

Current research

Reconstructing pathways of global spread in the red gum lerp psyllid (Glycaspis brimblecombei) using bacterial endosymbiont genomes and insect population diversity

Determinants of host use and community overlap among insects feeding on African and Australian acacias in South Africa

Implications of cryptic diversity in the Eucalyptus snout beetle (Gonipterus spp.) on the ecology, host plant use and effectiveness of biological control by an egg parasitic wasp (Anaphes nitens)

Population dynamics of invasive European woodwasp (Sirex noctilio) as driven by abiotic variability and community interactions in the larval environment

Endophytic fungal diversity in native and introduced tree hosts (using 454 and Illumina sequencing technology)

My Publications

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Schröder ML, Hurley BP, Wingfield MJ, Slippers B, Garnas JR. (2025) Thermal limitations to the biological control of Gonipterus sp. n. 2 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in South African Eucalyptus plantations. Agricultural and Forest Entomology 10.1111/afe.70002

Morrison EW, Duong TA, Garnas JR. (2024) A high-quality draft genome sequence of Neonectria faginata, causative agent of beech bark disease of Fagus grandifolia. Microbiology Resource Announcements 10.1128/mra.01048-23

Fitza KNE, Garnas JR, Slippers B. (2022) Experimental admixture among distinct lineages of Deladenus siricidicola, the biocontrol agent of Sirex noctilio. Biological Control 10.1016/j.biocontrol.2022.104875

Dittrich-Schröder G, Garnas JR, Arriagades-Cares D, Ahumada R, Hurley BP, Lawson SA, Slippers B. (2021) Diversity and Introduction History of Glycaspis brimblecombei Reflects a History of Bridgeheads and Distinct Invasions. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change 10.3389/ffgc.2021.783603

Krivak-Tetley FE, Lantschner MV, Lombardero MJ, Garnas JR, Hurley BP, Villacide JM, Slippers B, Corley J, Liebhold AM, Ayers MP. (2020) Aggressive tree killer or natural thinning agent? Assessing the impacts of a globally important forest insect. Forest Ecology and Management 10.1016/j.foreco.2020.118728

Garnas JR, Vann KE, Hurley BP. (2020) Biotic and abiotic effects on density, body size, sex ratio, and survival in immature stages of the European woodwasp, Sirex noctilio. Ecology and Evolution 10.1002/ece3.6966

Mutitu E, TB Hoareau, Hurley BP, Garnas JR, Wingfield MJ, Slippers B. (2020) Reconstructing early routes of invasion of the bronze bug Thaumastocoris peregrinus (Hemiptera: Thaumastocoridae): cities as bridgeheads for global pest invasions. Biological Invasions 10.1007/s10530-020-02258-w

Fitza KNE, Garnas JR, Lombardero MJ, Ayres MP, Krivak-Tetley FE, Ahumada R, Hurley BP, Wingfield MJ, Slippers B. (2019) The global diversity of Deladenus siricidicola in native and non-native populations. Biological Control

Queffelec J, Wooding AL, Greef JM, Garnas JR, Hurley BP, Wingfield MJ, Slippers B. (2019) Mechanisms that influence sex ratio variation in the invasive hymenopteran Sirex noctilio in South Africa. Ecology and Evolution 10.5061/dryad.f3p8j8g

Wondafrash M, Slippers B, Hurley BP, Garnas J. (2019) Local antagonism and resource partitioning between two invasive pine plantation pests. Agricultural and Forest Entomology 10.1111/afe.12330

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Dr Jeff Garnas

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