How do environmental stresses affect plant-insect relations?

Adjunct Professor, Entomology and Forestry

I am employed by the USDA Forest Service, North Central Research Station, and stationed at MSU. I am an adjunct faculty member in the Departments of Entomology and Forestry. My research addresses the broad area of plant-insect interactions. I am very interested in how plant-insect relations are altered by environmental stresses like drought, acid rain and global warming. In the area of invasion ecology, I deal with two recently introduced forest beetle pests as well as in the general theory of pest risk assessment. I also conduct studies on endangered insects (e.g., the Karner blue butterfly), effects of forest management activities on insect biodiversity, prairie restoration, and riparian ecosystems.

Selected Publications

Haack, R.A. and J.W. Byler. 1993. Insects and pathogens: Regulators of forest ecosystems. J. For. 91(9):32-37.

Haack, R.A. and W.J. Mattson. 1993. Life history patterns among North American tree-feeding sawflies. In Sawfly Adaptations to Woody Plants, M.R. Wagner and K.F. Raffa (eds.), pp. 503-545. Academic Press, Orlando.

Haack, R.A. 1996. Will global warming alter birch susceptibility to insect attack: A provenance study. In Dynamics of Forest Herbivory: Quest for Pattern and Principle. USDA Forest Service, Gen Tech. Rpt. NC-183, pp. 234-247.

Haack, R.A. and G. Paiz-Schwartz. 1997. Bark beetle (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) outbreak in pine forests of the Sierra de Las Minas Biosphere Reserve, Guatemala. Entomol. News 108:67-76.

Haack, R.A. and R.K. Lawrence. 1997. Tomicus piniperda (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) reproduction and behavior on Scotch pine Christmas trees taken indoors. Great Lakes Entomol. 30:19-31.

Haack, R.A., K.R. Law, V.C. Mastro, H.S. Ossenbruggen and B.J. Raimo. 1997. New York's battle with the Asian long-horned beetle. J. For. 95(12):11-15.