The Lives of Lepidopterists (eBook)

Lee. A. Dyer is an ecologist who has worked with Lepidoptera—focusing on immature stages—in tropical and temperate ecosystems for the past few decades. He received a BSc in biochemistry and a BA in english from the University of California (UC) Santa Barbara and then spent 6 years traveling, rock climbing, writing poetry, and working on environmental issues before deciding to go to graduate school. His PhD research at the University of Colorado, Boulder, examined chemically mediated interactions between plants, herbivores, and their natural enemies and included work in Costa Rica, Colorado, and California. Lee spends his free time looking for caterpillars, hanging out with his family, rock climbing, listening to music, drinking red wine, writing poetry, and reading books.Matthew L. Forister is an evolutionary ecologist in the Biology Department at the University of Nevada, Reno. He received a BA in English writing from the University of San Francisco, spent 2 years with the Peace Corps in Ukraine, and then earned a PhD in ecology from UC Davis. He studies herbivory, diversity, and hybridization, and has worked with different plants, animals, and fungi across temperate and tropical ecosytems, but particularly loves the blues, coppers, and hairstreaks (family Lycaenidae) and their humble but fascinating caterpillars and the ants that keep them safe. When not chasing butterflies, he favors old novels, the mountains of the Great Basin, and hanging out on the porch with his family, Beth and Catalina.

ContentsPreface                                                                                                              Introduction                                                                                                                Section One: How did we get here?                                                                        1: From caterpillars to chemistryM. Deane Bowers                                                       2: A reflection on the career: Following a path to moths and butterfliesPedro Barbosa3: Follow the breadcrumb trail                                                                                Carla M PenzSection Two: Adventure                                                                                          Art Shapiro5: Pursued by adrenalin, in pursuit of dopamine                    Greg Ballmer6: Mount Shasta and the mystery of Mu                                                                    Felix Sperling7: How and when I ventured into the study of butterflies and adventures along the wayLawrence E. Gilbert Section Three: Discovery                                                                                          8: One butterfly turned me to biology, another one helped establish metapopulation ecologyIlkka Hanski9: Tropical caterpillar addictionAnnette Aiello10: Tales of three tigers: A 50-year career-shaping journey chasing swallowtail butterflies  Mark ScriberSection Four: Natural History                                                                    11: Butterfly reflections in thirdsPhil DeVries12: It should have been called a moustacheHarold F. Greeney13: Collections, serendipity and flightless mothsJerry A. Powell Section Five: Secret Lives of Lepidopterists                                                           14: A tale of two... glasses?John Brown15: Journeys of a microlepidopterist – from South Korea to ArizonaSangmi Lee16: The education of the field biologistMichael C. Singer Section Six: History                                                                                                   17: Some Brazilian lepidopteristsIvone Rezende Diniz18: Butterflies on a dragon’s head; butterflies in a dragon’s headRoger L. H. Dennis19: A butterfly has time enoughRobert Michael Pyle20: Butterfly nexusPaul R. Ehrlich