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Department of Entomology
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ 85721
(520)621-7033
Curriculum Vitae
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Research Interests
Systematics, natural history, and evolution of insects. Current
research projects include a higher-level phylogenetic study of the Coleoptera,
a taxonomic revision and molecular phylogeny of the ant genus Linepithema,
and a faunistic study on the ants of Paraguay. Additional interests
include the use of photography for biodiversity outreach and the role of
alpha taxonomy in an increasingly genomic and bioinformatic world.
Professional Preparation
| 2005 |
University of California at Davis.
Ph.D. in Entomology. |
| 1995 |
Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME. A. B.
summa
cum laude in Biology and Environmental Studies. |
Academic and Professional Appointments
| 2006 - present |
Research Associate, Department of Entomology,
University of Arizona. Currently working in a postdoctoral position
on an Assembling the Tree of Life (NSF - ATOL) grant to reconstruct the
phylogeny of the Coleoptera. Responsibilities include assisting in
the development of a bioinformatics workflow system, the development of
new protein-coding nuclear genes for phylogenetic analysis, and specimen
curation and imaging. |
| 1999 – 2005 |
Doctoral Student, Department of Entomology, U. C. Davis.
Conducted externally funded phylogenetic and revisionary research in the
ant genera Linepithema and Pachycondyla, carried out molecular
work for an NSF - ATOL project to reconstruct the phylogeny of the Formicidae,
and worked in the curation of the entomology collections at the Bohart
Museum of Entomology and the California Academy of Sciences. |
| 1998 – 1999 |
Agriculture Sector Coordinator, U. S. Peace
Corps/Paraguay. Activities included re-designing the Peace Corps
agriculture plan to boost emphasis on no-till agriculture and to increase
Peace Corps’ coordination with local organizations, interacting with Paraguayan
communities to determine placement of incoming volunteers, organizing several
week-long workshops in sustainable agriculture for Paraguayan subsistence
farmers and Peace Corps volunteers, providing logistical support to volunteers,
and editing a monthly newsletter. |
| 1995 – 1998 |
Apiculture Extensionist, U. S. Peace Corps/Paraguay.
Responsibilities included teaching beekeeping with Africanized honeybees
in several subsistence farming communities and performing extension in
agroforestry and sustainable agriculture. |
| 1995 – 1999 |
Associate Curator, Museo Nacional de Historia
Natural del Paraguay. Curated the ants in the Paraguayan National
Museum on a part-time basis. |
| 1995 |
Invertebrate Laboratory Intern, Archbold Biological
Station, Lake Placid, Florida. Assisted in the curation of the Archbold
insect collection under the supervision of Dr. Mark Deyrup. |
Selected Publications
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Wild, A. L. 2007. Taxonomic revision of the ant genus Linepithema
(Hymenoptera: Formicidae). University of California Publications in Entomology
126. [download
PDF]
-
Roura-Pascual, N., A. V. Suarez , K. McNyset, C. Gómez,
P. Pons, Y. Touyama, A. L. Wild, F. Gascón, and A. T. Peterson.
2006. Niche differentiation and fine-scale projections for Argentine ants
based on remotely sensed data. Ecological Applications 16(5): 1832–1841.
[pdf
available on request]
-
Donoso, D. A, J. M. Vieira, & A. L. Wild. 2006. Three
new species of Leptanilloides Mann from Andean Ecuador (Formicidae:
Leptanilloidinae). Zootaxa 1201: 47-62. [download
PDF]
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Wild, A. L., and F. Cuezzo. 2006. Rediscovery of a fossil
dolichoderine ant lineage (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Dolichoderinae) and
a description of a new genus from South America. Zootaxa 1142: 57-68. [pdf
available on request]
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Wild, A. L. 2005. Observations
on larval cannibalism and other behaviors in a captive colony of Amblyopone
oregonensis. Notes from Underground 11: 9. [Online
article]
-
Wild, A. L. 2005. Taxonomic revision of the Pachycondyla
apicalis species complex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa
834: 1-25. [pdf available on request]
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Roura-Pascual, N, A. V. Suarez , C. Gómez, P. Pons,
Y. Touyama, A. L. Wild, & A. T. Peterson. 2004. Geographic potential
of Argentine ants (Linepithema humile Mayr) in the face of global
climate change. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series
B 271:2527-2534. [download PDF]
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Wild, A. L. 2004. Taxonomy and distribution of the Argentine
ant Linepithema humile (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Annals of
the Entomological Society of America 97(6): 1204-1215. [download
PDF]
-
Wild, A. L. 2003. Digital
Macro Photography of Ants in the Field. Notes from Underground
10 (1): 4. [Online
article]
-
Wild, A. L. 2003 (“2002”). The genus Pachycondyla
(Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Paraguay. Boletín del Museo Nacional
de Historia Natural del Paraguay 14: 1-18. [download
PDF]
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Suarez, A.V., M. Benard, N.D. Tsutsui, T.A. Blackledge, K.
Copren, E.M. Sarnat, A.L. Wild, W.M. Getz, P.T. Starks, K. Will, P.J. Palsbøll,
M.E. Hauber, C. Moritz, and A.D. Richman. 2002. Correspondence: Conflicts
around a study of Mexican crops. Nature 417: 897.
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Orians, C. M., C. H. Huang, A. Wild, K. A. Dorfman, P. Zee,
M. T. T. Dao, and R. S. Fritz. 1997. Willow hybridization differentially
affects preference and performance of herbivorous beetles. Entomologia
Experimentalis et Applicata 83: 285-294.
Selected Presentations
-
Wild, A. L. 2007. Can 18th and 21st century science get along?
The fate of taxonomy in the genomic era. Invited talk, University
of Texas Population Biology seminar series, Austin, Texas.
-
Wild, A. L. 2006. Multi-locus molecular phylogeny and the
“Species Problem”: insights from Linepithema ants. Invited talk,
Symposium 12, International Union for the Study of Social Insects conference,
Washington D.C.
-
Wild, A. L. 2006. Beyond the Argentine Ant: Evolution of
the Neotropical ant genus Linepithema. U.C. Davis Department
of Entomology Seminar Series.
-
Wild, A. L. 2005. Panelist, “Monographs in the 21st Century”,
Bay Area Biosystematists November meeting.
-
Wild, A. L. 2005. Entomologizing in South America. Panel
presentation on international biological collections and the permit
process, Bay Area Biosystematists April meeting.
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Wild, A. L. 2004. An Overview of Latin American Regulations.
Invited Talk, Section A, Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting,
Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
-
Wild, A. L. 2004. Phylogeny and Male Trait Evolution in the
Neotropical Ant Genus Linepithema. Oral Presentation, Section
A, Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT,
USA.
-
Wild, A. L. 2004. Distribution of the Argentine ant (Linepithema
humile) in South America. Oral Presentation, Section 17, International
Congress of Entomology, Brisbane Australia.
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Wild, A. L. 1999. No-till Agriculture in Paraguay:
Balancing Indigenous Knowledge with Modern Technology. Invited Talk, CIIFAD
Forum, Cornell University.
Relevant Skills
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Over ten years of professional experience in insect collection,
curation, and identification. Curation experience includes several
institutional collections in North and South America. Identification
skills span all insect and some other arthropod groups at the family or
genus level, with species-level skills strongest for Nearctic and Neotropical
ants.
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Over ten years of experience in the design and implementation
of scientific research in entomology and systematics.
-
Strong grant-writing skills; received over $95,000 in funds
as a graduate student from several sources, including a fellowship and
a research grant from the National Science Foundation.
-
Insect photography. Photographs have appeared in venues
such as Discover Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, Ranger Rick, Natural History,
BBC Wildlife, Nature, PNAS, USA Today, the Washington Post, the History
Channel, the Discovery Channel, and in numerous museum exhibits, books,
newspapers, and websites. Online gallery is viewable at www.myrmecos.net.
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Molecular laboratory skills include DNA extraction, amplification,
purification, primer design, and sequence analysis.
-
Bioinformatics software experience includes BioLink, EstimateS,
Lucid, Auto-Montage, Cartograph, Archimed, PAUP*, Clustal, MacClade, Mesquite,
Mr Bayes, Chromaseq, and Sequencher.
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International research experience in over 15 countries, with
an emphasis in Latin America.
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Excellent public outreach skills. Experience includes
agriculture extension, classroom and science center visits, photography
workshops, and campus outreach events.
-
Fluency in English, Spanish and Guaraní, with additional
communications skills in Portuguese and French.
Teaching Experience
| 2005 |
Teaching assistant for the “Ant Course” at the Southwestern
Research Station in Portal, Arizona, an annual intensive course on ant
diversity. |
| 2000 – 2005 |
Teaching assistant and lecturer for the following classes
at U. C. Davis:
Molecular and Cellular Biology 10: Human Genetics.
Entomology 109: Insect Diversity in the California Sierra Nevada.
Entomology 107: California Insect Diversity. |
| 1995 – 1999 |
U. S. Peace Corps/Paraguay. Taught classes in apiculture,
soil conservation, crop
diversification, and agroforestry to various groups of
Peace Corps volunteers, Paraguayan farmers, and Aché and Guaraní
indigenous communities. |
Grants/Awards
2003 National Science Foundation Dissertation Enhancement
Award ($21,205)
2002 U.C. Davis Jastro Shields Research Award ($2,500)
2002 U.C. Davis Center for Population Biology,
Graduate Research Award ($1,124)
2001 U.C. Davis Jastro Shields Research Award ($2,500)
2001 U.C. Davis Center for Biosystematics, Graduate
Research Award ($1000)
2001 U.C. Davis Center for Population Biology,
Graduate Research Award ($1000)
2001 U.C. Davis Center for Biosystematics, Graduate
Research Award ($1000)
2000 U.C. Davis Jastro Shields Research Award ($1,800)
2000 National Science Foundation Graduate Research
Fellowship ($22,000/year for three years)
1995 Macomber Prize, awarded by Bowdoin College
to the outstanding graduating senior in Biology
Professional Affiliations
Member, Entomological Society of America; 2004-2005 ESA
Education and Youth Committee
Member, International Union for the Study of Social Insects
Member, Society of Systematic Biologists
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