Daniel A. Herms

Updated: 27 May, 2003

• email: herms.2@osu.edu
• smail: Department of Entomology, OSU/OARDC, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster, OH 44691
• phone: (330) 202-3506
• fax: (330) 263-3686

• Associate Professor
• Ph.D. 1991 Michigan State University

My research (70%) and extension (30%) program focuses broadly on IPM of insect pests of woody plants in the urban forest, landscape, and nursery. A primary emphasis is plant defense theory and its application to pest management. Specific interests include resource allocation patterns of plants, mechanisms of tree resistance to insects, phenotypic plasticity in chemical defense, plant responses to herbivory, and the nutritional ecology of phytophagous insects. Several current projects examine the effects of soil resources (fertility, moisture, and organic matter) across four trophic levels, including microbial communities and nutrient cycling, tree growth and phytochemistry, insect herbivores, and their natural enemies. These studies are designed to increase our understanding of

1. how plant responses to abiotic stress affect the population dynamics of insect herbivores,and
2. the role of cultural practices (e.g. fertilization, mulching) in pest management programs. Other projects focus on novel pest management tactics, and strategies for monitoring insect pests in landscapes and nurseries, including phenological indicators, degree-day models, and sampling programs.

My extension program is centered on plant health care for landscape professionals, IPM for production nurseries, and ecologically sound gardening practices for the home landscape.

Personal interests include hiking, camping, scuba diving, and gardening.

• Graduate student advisees:
• John Lloyd (Ph.D. candidate, Michigan State University)
• Dylan Parry (Ph.D. candidate, Michigan State University)
• Heather Govenor (M.S., Michigan State University, 1998)
• Beth Dankert (M.S., Michigan State University, 1996)
• Joe Chichester (M.S., Michigan State University, 1994)

Postdoctoral associates:

• Carolyn Glynn

Key Citations:

Herms, D. A. and W. J. Mattson. 1992. The dilemma of plants: to grow or defend. Quarterly Review of Biology 67(3):283-335. Herms, D.A., & W.J. Mattson. 1997. Trees, stress, and pests. In J.E. Lloyd, ed. Plant Health Care for Woody Ornamentals, International Society of Arboriculture, Champaign, IL

Dankert, B. A., D. A. Herms, D. Parry, J. M. Scriber, and L. A. Haas. 1997. Mediation of interspecific competition between folivores through defoliation-induced changes in host quality. In Raman, A., ed. Ecology and Evolution of Plant-Feeding Insects in Natural and Man-Made Environments. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden.

Dowd, P.F., L.M. Lagrimini, and D.A. Herms. 1998. Differential leaf resistance to insects of transgenic sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) expression tobacco anionic peroxidase. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences 54:712-720.

Strand, R.M., D.A. Herms, M.P. Ayres, M.E. Kubiske, M.G. Kaufman, E.D. Walker, K.S. Pregitzer, and R.W. Merritt. 1999. Effects of atmospheric CO₂, light availability, and tree species on the quality of leaf detritus as a resource for treehole mosquitoes. Oikos 84:277-283.

Herms, D.A. 1999. Physiological and abiotic determinants of competitive ability and herbivore resistance. Phyton 39:53-64.

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