Sandy Smith specializes in forest entomology, biological control, biodiversity indices, and insect behaviour. Her primary research is on ecological aspects of natural enemies attacking forest insects (invertebrate and vertebrate), and includes parasitoid fitness, field population dynamics and non-target risk assessment. She also works actively in assessing the impacts of forest management on insect biodiversity, communities and guild functioning, as well as the mechanisms and effects of invasive insect species. Course Coordinator: Course Involvement: GRADUATE Detailed research interests, publications, and graduate students. Research Interests
Specific objectives of her program are to: 1) Examine the basis and implication of genetic and environmental variation that underlie insect parasitoid quality in commercial mass-production; 2) Evaluate the considerations and potential for using insects to measure operational silvicultural and harvesting effects on forest biodiversity; and 3) Characterize the ecological effect of colonization by non-native invasive forest insect species on natural enemy complexes and competing native species. Other areas of research include studies on: biodiversity indices in mixed forest canopies, old-growth pine forests and agroforestry systems; economic impact and risk-rating for shoot/tip (white pine weevil) and phloem-feeding (scolytid and cerambycid) beetles; insect communities associated with tree death and decomposition; and insects as a food resource and mechanism for partitioning vertebrate (birds, shrews and amphibian) species in forest communities. Sandy works closely with research scientists from the Canadian Forest Service and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources on problems of direct relevance to both the forest and pest control industries (Domtar (formerly E.B. Eddy Products), Haliburton Forest and Wild Life Reserve Inc., Novartis Inc. (formerly Ciba-Geigy Inc.), Rohm and Haas Inc.)). With the help of her many graduate students and post-doctoral fellows, Sandy’s laboratory has developed environmentally-friendly control options against several major forest pests as well as provided the forest industry with management guidelines to help assess biodiversity and long-term forest sustainability. Honours C.Gordon Hewitt Award (Entomol. Soc. Canada, 1993)Teaching Excellence Award (by Forestry Undergrads, 1990, 1991) President, Entomological Society of Canada (2002-03) President, Entomological Society of Ontario (1994-98) Associate Editor, Can. J. Forest Research (1993-97) Forestry Member, NSERC Strategic Grant Selection Panel (1992-96) Refereed journal publications (last five years): In Press Liu, F-H. and S.M. Smith. Estimating quantitative genetic parameters in haplodiploid organisms. Ryall, K.L. and S.M. Smith. Brood production and shoot-feeding by the introduced pine shoot beetle, Tomicus piniperda (L.) (Col., Scolytidae) in Ontario. Can. Entomol. Published Liu, F-H. and S.M. Smith. 2000. Measurement and selection of parasitoid quality for mass-reared Trichogramma minutum Riley used in inundative release. Biocontrol Sci.& Tech. 10:3-13. Bellocq, M.I., K. Kloosterman and S.M. Smith. 2000. Prey type among co-existing species of amphibians in jack pine forests. Herpetological Journal. Vol. 10 63-68. Van Hezewijk, B., R.S. Bourchier and S.M. Smith. 2000. Searching speed of Trichogramma minutum and its potential as a measure of parasitoid quality. Biological Control. 17:139-146. Bourchier, R.W. and S.M. Smith. 1998. Interactions between large scale inundative releases of Trichogramma minutum and naturally occurring spruce budworm parasitoids. Environmental Ent. 27:1273-1279. Ryall, K.L. and S.M. Smith. 1997. Intraspecific larval competition and brood production in Tomicuspiniperda (L.) (Col., Curculionidae, Scolytinae). Proc. Entomol. Soc. Ontario. 128:19-26. Lukianchuk, J.L. and S.M. Smith. 1997. Influence of plant structural complexity on the foraging success of Trichogramma minutum Riley: A comparison of search on artificial and foliage models. Entomologia experimentalis et applicata. 84:221-228. Song, S.J., R.W. Bourchier and S.M. Smith. 1997. Effect of host diet on acceptance of eastern spruce budworm eggs by Trichogramma minutum. Entomologia experimentalis et applicata. 84:41-47. Bellocq, M.I. and S.M. Smith. 1997. Microhabitat preferences of Peromyscus maniculatus (Rodentia, Cricetidae) in young pine plantations in the Canadian boreal forest. Ecologia Austral. 7:57-64. Bourchier, R.S. and S.M. Smith. 1997. Influence of environmental conditions and parasitoid quality on field performance of Trichogramma minutum. Entomologia exper. et applicata. 80:461-468. Bellocq, M.I. and S.M. Smith. 1996. Mortality of the white pine weevil associated with silvicultural practices in jack pine plantations. Forestry Chronicle 72: 388-392. Wang, Z. and S.M. Smith. 1996. Phenotypic differences between thelytokous and arrhenotokous members of the Trichogramma minutum (Hym.: Trichogrammatidae) complex from Zeiraphera canadensis (Lep.: Olethreutidae). Entomologia experimentalis applicata. 78: 315-323. Brandt, J.P., S.M. Smith and M. Hubbes. 1996. Distribution and sampling of root weevil larvae in young ornamental conifer plantations. Canadian Entomologist. 128: 1125-1133. Minsheng, Y. and S.M. Smith. 1996. Controllability and observability in insect population systems. Journal of Fujian Agricultural University . 25:320-328. Books and Monographs Scarr, T. S.M. Smith, J.J. Turgeon and G.M. Howse. Insect pests. IN: R. Wagner and S. Colombo Eds.), Regenerating Ontario's Forests, Chapter 25. (accepted with revision August 1996). Smith, S.M. 1996. Biological Control with Trichogramma--Advances, Successes, and Potential of their Use. Annual Review of Entomology 41: 375-406.
Current Graduate Students
Previous Graduate Students Dr. Smith has supervised over 20 Master’s and Ph.D. level students in the past 15 years. Recent graduates from Dr. Smith’s lab include:
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The primary focus of Sandy Smith’s research is on forest pest management and the ecological basis of augmenting natural enemies for the biological control of forest insect pests. This includes internationally recognized work on inundative releases of egg parasitoids (Trichogramma spp.) against major forest insect defoliators as well as recent studies investigating “bottom-up” effects of stand management on natural enemy complexes, and insect populations in general. 