Andrew Merwin

Dr. Andrew Merwin currently teaches Introduction to Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity (BIO-122); General Zoology (BIO-221); and Invertebrate Natural History (BIO-334). He believes in teaching science by doing science and uses evidence-based teaching practices.

His research focuses on how environmental variability and biodiversity influence insect populations and plant-insect interactions. He is particularly interested in linking the organismal traits of plants and insects to population- and community-level outcomes. To do this, he uses experimental and observational approaches in the lab and field, along with mathematical modeling. This work is motivated by a desire to uncover basic ecological principles that can be applied to conservation and sustainable agriculture.

Prior to coming to BW, he was a Program of Excellence Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Students with interests in animals and plant-animal interactions are invited to send him an email or stop by his office to chat.

Publications

Merwin AC, Inouye BD, Underwood N (2020) Natal habitat experience mediates the relationship between insect and hostplant densities. Oecologia 193:261–271

Merwin AC (2020) Make your back yard bird and butterfly friendly. Brunswick Sun March 15.

Humphrey EA, Merwin AC, Tekkumru-Kisa M (2020) Advancing Cognitively Demanding Tasks in Undergraduate Classrooms: Using Graduate Student Discussion Groups & the Task Analysis Guide in Science (TAGS) as Leverage. American Biolofy Teacher 82:53–57.

Merwin AC (2019) Flight capacity increases then declines from the core to the margins of an invasive species’ range. Biology Letters 15

Basili, A. M., and A. C. Merwin. 2019. Parasitism declines with distance from the site of introduction for the kudzu bug, Megacopta cribraria (F.), and depends on host density at different spatial scales. Biological Invasions 21:2629–2637.

Merwin, A. C., and A. R. Yilmaz. 2018. Diel flight pattern and size-dependent flight speed of kudzu bug, Megacopta cribraria (Fabricius). Journal of Applied Entomology 142:305–310.

Merwin, A. C., N. Underwood, and B. D. Inouye. 2017. Increased consumer density reduces the strength of neighborhood effects in a model system. Ecology 98:2904–2913.

Kim, T. N., B. J. Spiesman, A. L. Buchanan, A. S. Hakes, S. L. Halpern, B. D. Inouye, A. L. Kilanowski, N. Kortessis, D. W. McNutt, A. C. Merwin, and N. Underwood. 2015. Selective manipulation of a non-dominant plant and its herbivores affects an old-field plant community.Plant Ecology 216:1029–1045.

Merwin, A. C., and M. P. Parrella. 2014. Preference induction and the benefits of floral resources for a facultative florivore. Ecological Entomology 39:405–411.