Associate Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
Towson University
Towson, MD 21252 USA
Office: Smith 351
Phone: 410-704-3121
Fax: 410-704-2405
email: jlapolla@towson.edu
Education:
Postdoctoral research
Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History
Ph.D. Rutgers University
B.S. Stockton College
Courses Taught:
BIOL 202 - Biology II: Intro to Ecology, Evolution and Behavior
BIOL 353/553 - Invertebrate Zoology
BIOL 461/561 - Entomology
Research Interests:
1) Coevolution of Acropyga ants and mealybugs
Acropyga ants display a fascinating behavior I have termed trophophoresy. Trophophoresy is the behavior of a queen ant taking with her on her mating flight a mealybug from her birth nest (LaPolla, 2002). This mealybug serves as a "seed" individual through which a new colony of mealybugs will be created. The ants feed on the sugary substances produced by the mealybugs. It is believed the ants and mealybugs are mutually dependent on one another for survival. Acropyga ants are, in a sense, the dairy farmers of the ant world.
We know virtually nothing about the symbiosis between Acropyga ants and their mealybug “cattle.” Investigating the biological aspects of this complex symbiosis has become a major component of my research program. In collaboration with Drs. Ted Schultz & Sean Brady (National Museum of Natural History) and Dr. Joseph Bischoff (National Institutes of Health-GenBank), several important studies are planned over the next several years.
2) Biodiversity Studies
I have employed the replicable "ALL" (Ants of the Leaf Litter) protocol to examine patterns of ant diversity across South America. In collaboration with Dr. Ted Schultz (NMNH) and doctoral student Jeffery Sosa-Calvo (U Maryland-College Park), my research project will continue gathering and examining leaf litter ant data from Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil and Peru. Over the next three years, we will complete on-going studies comparing the Guiana Shield fauna to the rest of South America to extrapolate patterns of endemism and identify areas of conservation concern.
3) Revisionary Systematics
I am in the process of completing a world revision of the ant genus Paratrechina, a large genus of over 140 species, and a group that contains many invasive species of agricultural and economic importance. With no taxonomic monograph available, most Paratrechina species are currently impossible to identify. Defining the species will help efforts at using biological control methods to control invasive species. The genus has never been revised and there are undoubtedly many new species awaiting discovery.
I am also currently beginning a world revision of the genus Discothyrea with doctoral student Jeffery Sosa-Calvo (U Maryland-College Park). These enigmatic ants are found worldwide in subtropical and tropical localities. They are thought to be specialist predators on arthropod eggs.
Funding in support of this research is provided by a grant from the National
Science Foundation (DEB #0743542) to JSL.
View complete Curriculum Vitae
Publications (A sampling of recent peer-reviewed publications):
Schneider, S.A. and J.S. LaPolla. In press. Phylogeny and taxonomy of the mealybug tribe Xenococcini (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Pseudococcidae) with a discussion of trophobiotic associations with Acropyga Roger ants. Systematic Entomology
LaPolla, J.S. and G.M. Dlussky. 2010. Review of fossil Prenolepis genus-group species. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 112(2): 258-273.
LaPolla, J.S., C.H. Cheng and B.L. Fisher. 2010. Taxonomic revision of the ant genus Paraparatrechina in the Afrotropical and Malagasy regions. Zootaxa 2387: 1-27.
J. Sosa-Calvo, T.R. Schultz and J.S. LaPolla. 2010. A Review of the Dacetine Ants of Guyana (Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Journal of Hymenoptera Research 19(1): 12-43.
LaPolla, J.S., S.G. Brady, and S.O. Shattuck. 2010. Phylogeny and taxonomy of the Prenolepis genus-group of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Systematic Entomology 35 (1): 118-131.
Undergraduate Students:
Kaitlyn Flury
Tony DeWitt
Travis Poulsen
Graduate Students:
Bob Kallal
Brad Wright
