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don cipollini

December 31, 2022
Biogeographic variation in resistance of the invasive plant, Alliaria petiolata, to a powdery mildew fungus and effect of resistance on competitive dynamics

Garlic mustard has been chased by a powdery mildew fungus as long as it's been advancing in the US. Understanding its relationship, the resistance, and the outcome of competitive dynamics has been tricky. I contributed some of the seeds, some of the greenhouse work, and some of the graphics to this paper.

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December 31, 2022
Range, genetic diversity and future of the threatened butterfly, Pieris virginiensis

This was the final paper from my dissertation that I directly authored, and it was one of my favorites, because I started learning mapping with this paper! I used climate models (worldclim data) to develop suitability maps for the rare West Virginia White butterfly. I then combined that data with genetic diversity data that I […]

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December 31, 2022
How environmental conditions and changing landscapes influence the survival and reproduction of a rare butterfly, Pieris virginiensis (Pieridae)

This was my first published paper, and it explored the biogeographical factors relating to survival of this rare butterfly, the West Virginia White. We tracked the same field site for several years, finding little to no evidence of survival of this rare butterfly. Evidence was tenuous, mostly because the similarities between P. virginiensis and P. […]

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December 30, 2022
Does garlic mustard lure and kill the West Virginia White butterfly?

Another beautiful piece placed in the Journal of Chemical Ecology, this was our second dive into the chemistry of Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard) and how it was affecting a rare native butterfly, Pieris virginiensis (the West Virginia White). We found that one particular compound, sinigrin, did not affect oviposition rates, but it did effect how […]

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December 30, 2022
Glucosinolate-related glucosides in Alliaria petiolata: sources of variation in the plant and different metabolism in an adapted specialist herbivore, Pieris rapae

This was one of two internationally coauthored pieces we did on the chemical ecology of the invasive species Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata). Even though it's almost a decade later, I am deeply appreciative of the collaboration with Tina Frisch and the many other co-authors we had on this piece. In this piece, we worked on […]

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December 30, 2022
Do mothers always know best? Oviposition mistakes and resulting larval failure of Pieris virginiensis on Alliaria petiolata, a novel, toxic host

This was one of my favorite peer-reviewed articles that came out of my dissertation work. Plus, Don, my advisor and coauthor, absolutely loved the first part of the title (full credit to him!). In this research, we investigated egg-laying in Pieris virginiensis, the West Virginia White butterfly through a combination of field observation and lab […]

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