Entomology Home > Faculty & Staff > Dr. Ashley P.G. Dowling
Dr. Ashley P.G. Dowling
Assistant Professor
Acarology/Molecular Systematics
Address
Department of Entomology
University of Fayetteville
319 Agriculture Building
Fayetteville, AR 72701
PHONE: (479) 575-2482
FAX: (479) 575-2452
E-MAIL adowling@uark.edu
Education
- Ph.D., Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 2005.
- B.S., Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, 1997.
Courses Taught
- ENTO 3013: Introduction to Insects
Program Area
- Acarology (study of mites)
- Molecular systematic of mites and insects
- Historical Ecology: Coevolution, biogeography, and host-associations
- Population genetics (phylogeography) of recently invading pest mites
Research Area
- My research is primarily concerned with the use of systematics to study biogeography, coevolution, and the evolution of parasitism between arthropods and associated organisms. I am currently focusing on an ecologically and evolutionarily diverse group of mites in the superfamily Dermanyssoidea. Primitive members of this group are found as free-living predators in numerous habitats and the remaining members are found as nest nidicoles, facultative and obligate ectoparasites, and auditory and respiratory endoparasites. The group presents a unique opportunity to study the transition from predator to parasite because so many intermediate forms are still extant. I am also interested in a range of projects from reconstructing the entire Acari Tree of Life down to the population genetics of an invasive species of mite rapidly spreading through the Caribbean. My postdoctoral research was focused on parasitic Hymenoptera, specifically elucidating the phylogeny of all Hymenoptera and the Ichneumonoidea using molecular data. I am also interested in theoretical aspects of systematics, specifically the effect that poor gene choice, nucleotide site saturation, and missing data have on phylogenetic analysis. These questions are addressed through computer simulations and randomized datasets.
Publications
- Dowling, A. P. G., Bochkov, A., and OConnor, B.M. 2007. Revision of the genus Andreacarus (Acari: Laelapidae) with description of seven new species and a new genus for Australian species formerly placed in Andreacarus. J. Med. Entomol.44, 405-421.
- Pitz, K. M., Dowling, A. P. G., Sharanowski, B. J., Boring, C. A., Seltmann, K., and Sharkey, M. J. 2007. Phylogenetic relationships among the Braconidae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonoidea): a reassessment of Shi et al. 2005. Mol. Phlyo. Evol.43, 338-343
- Cusson, M., Beliveau, C., Sen, S. E., Vandermoten, S., Rutledge, R. G., Stewart, D., Francis, F., Haubruge, E., Rehse, P., Huggins, D. J., Dowling, A. P. G., and Grant, G. H. 2006. Characterization and tissue-specific expression of two lepidopteran farnesyl diphosphate synthase homologs: implications for the biosynthesis of ethyl-substituted juvenile hormones. TProtein 65, 742-758.
- Dowling, A. P. G. 2006. Mesostigmatid mites as parasites of small mammals. In: Morand, S., Krasnov, B.R. & Poulin, R. (eds). Micromammals and macroparasites: From evolutionary ecology to management. Springer-Verlag, Tokyo.
- Reeves, R., Dowling, A. P. G., and Dasch, G. A. 2006. Rickettsial agents from parasitic Dermanyssoidea (Acari: Mesotigmata). Exp. App. Acarology 38, 181-188
- Brooks, D. R., Dowling, A. P. G., van Veller, M. G. P., and Hoberg, E. P. 2004. Ending a decade of deception: a valiant failure, a not-so-valiant failure, and a success story. Cladistics 20, 32-46.
- Klimov, P. B., Lekveishvili, M., Dowling, A. P. G., and OConnor, B. M. 2004. Multivariate analysis of morphological variation in two cryptic species of Sancassania (Acari: Acaridae) from Costa Rica. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 97, 322-345.
- Dowling, A. P. G., van Veller, M. G. P., Hoberg, E. P., and Brooks, D. R. 2003. A priori and A posteriori methods in comparative evolutionary studies of host-parasite associations. Cladistics 19, 240-253.
- Dowling, A. P. G. 2002. Testing the accuracy of treemap and brooks parsimony analyses of coevolutionary patterns using artificial associations. Cladistics 18, 416-435.