Education

Doctorate of Philosophy, 2008

Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada

Major: Biological Sciences, Ecology and Evolution

Thesis Title: Behaviour and Life History of a Large Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa virginica) in the Northern Extent of its Range

Bachelor of Arts, 2000

Clark University, Worcester, MA

Major: Biology (Ecology & Evolution)

Minor: Geography

Research Experience

Assistant Specialist

Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside

Riverside, California, March 2012-Present

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Texas AgriLife Texas A&M System

Lubbock, Texas, 2010-2012

Postdoc (Research Affiliate)

USDA-ARS-BIIRU, University of Delaware

Newark, Delaware, 2009- 2010

Faculty Research Assistant

University of Maryland Department of Biology

College Park, Maryland. 2001-2002

Research Assistant

Brown University Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior

Providence, Rhode Island.  2000-2001

Student Capstone Project

Clark University Department of Biology

Worcester, Massachusetts 

Advisor: Todd P. Livdahl, Ph.D.

Research Focus

    My research interests are in the broad topic of insect ecology. I conduct both fundamental and applied research, and have studied a variety of arthropod taxa.  My primary fundamental interests are in the ecology and evolution of adaptive traits.  I am particularly curious about traits that are associated with choices.  In that context I have examined topics such as social polymorphisms, mate choice, and host choice of parasitioids and herbivores.  My applied research generally focuses on ecological sound methods of managing insects pests, especially disease vectors.  In that context, I often focus on implications for Integrated Pest Management. The primary focus of my current work is the potato psyllid Bactericera cockerelli.

Publications

Marcus Pennington, Nicholas Rivas, Sean M. Prager, William E. Walton, John T. Trumble. Pharmaceutical and personal care products influence the biology and microbiome of a medically important mosquito species Culex quinquefasciatus.  Submitted to Environmental Pollution.

S.M. Prager, C. Wallis, J.T. Trumble, Indirect effects of one plant pathogen on the transmission of a second mediated by vector behavior. In Review. Functional Ecology

Aneela Younas, Muhammad Shaaban, Waqas Wakil, Sean M Prager. The efficacy of Beauveria bassiana, jasmonic acid and chlorantraniliprole on larval population of Helicoverpa armigera in chickpea crop ecosystem. Submitted to Pest Management Science

Oswaldo A. Rubio-Covarrubias, M.A. Cadena-Hinojosa , R. Flores-López, J.E. Munyaneza, S.M. Prager, and  J. Trumble. Assessing zebra chip resistance of advanced potato breeding lines under field conditions in the Toluca Valley, Mexico.  Submitted to American Journal of Potato Research.

Sean M. Prager, (2014). An examination of a socially polymorphic carpenter bee reveals no advantage to social nesting. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society.  113: 998-1010

Sean M. Prager, Xavier Martini, Hasitha Guvvala, Christian Nansen, Jonathan Lundgren. (2014). An obligate spider mite predator prefers prey without Bt toxins. Annals of Applied Biology. 165(1): 108-116

Sean M. Prager, Casey D. Butler, John T. Trumble. (2014) A binomial sequential sampling plan for the psyllid Bactericera cockerelli (Šulc) (Hemiptera: Triozidae) in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), with notes on cross crop distributions. Journal of Economic Entomology. 107(2): 838-845

Sean M. Prager, Owen Milo Lewis, Jerry Michels, Christian Nansen. (2014). The influence of maturity and variety of potato plants on oviposition and probing of Bactericera cockerelli (Šulc) (Hemiptera: Triozidae). Environmental Entomology. 43(2): 402-409

Sean M. Prager, Isaac Esquivel, John T. Trumble, (2014) Factors influencing host plant choice and larval performance in Bactericera cockerelli. PLOS ONE. 10(137): e94047

Keith R. Hopper, Sean M. Prager, George E. Heimpel. (2013) Is parasitoid host specificity dynamic? Functional Ecology 27(5): 1201-1211

Sean M. Prager, Beatriz Vindiola, Gregory S. Kund, Frank J. Byrne, John T. Trumble. (2013) Considerations for the use of neonicotinoid pesticides in management of Bactericera cockerelli (Šulk) (Hemiptera: Triozidae). Crop Protection 54: 84-91

Sean M.  Prager, Owen Milo Lewis, Christian Nansen. (2013) Oviposition and leaf probing by Bactericera cockerelli (Homoptera: Psyllidae) in response to a limestone particle film or a plant growth regulator applied to potato plants. Crop Protection 45: 57-62

Sean M. Prager, Casey D. Butler, John T. Trumble. (2013) A sequential binomial sampling plan for potato psyllid (Hemiptera: Triozidae) on bell pepper (Capsicum annum).  Pest Management Science. 69(10): 1131-1135

Xavier Martini, Shawn Seibert, Sean M. Prager, Christian Nansen. (2012) Description and applications of a simple method to sample soft-bodied insect immatures. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata. 143(2): 103-110

Sean Prager and Jean Richardson. (2012) An ecological analysis of mating biology of Xylocopa virginica in southern Ontario. Ecological Entomology, 37(4): 283-292

Sean Prager and Fiona Hunter. (2011) Relationships between nest architecture and behavior in Xylocopa (Xylocopoides) virginica. Journal of Insect Behavior. 24 (4): 293-306

Dimitri A. Skandalis, Glenn J. Tattersall, Sean Prager, Miriam H. Richards. (2009) Body Size and Shape of the Large Carpenter Bee, Xylocopa virginica (L.) (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society. 82(1), 30-42.

Mark Frampton, Sam Droege, Travis Conrad, Sean Prager and Miriam H. Richards. (2008). Evaluation of specimen preservatives for DNA analyses of bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). Journal of Hymenoptera Research. 17(2),195-200

Published Abstracts and Proceedings

R.G. Novy, S.M. Prager, J.C. Miller Jr., B. Vindeola, J.T. Trumble, characterization of potato breeding clones to determine mechanisms conferring observed resistance/tolerance to zebra chip disease. Proceedings of the 13th Annual 2012 Zebra Chip Reporting Session.

S.M. Prager, I. Esquivel, J.T. Trumble, Patterns of host plant use in Bactericera cockerelli. Proceedings of the 12th Annual 2012 Zebra Chip Reporting Session.

S.M. Prager, B. Vindiola, G.S. Kund, F.J. Byrne, J.T. Trumble.  An update on resistance and the use of neonicotinoids to manage zebra chip and potato psyllids. Proceedings of the 12th Annual 2012 Zebra Chip Reporting Session.

S.M. Prager, Casey Butler, J.T. Trumble. Area wide sampling for potato psyllids: comparisons of distributions and scouting strategies on potatoes, tomatoes and peppers.  Proceedings of the 12th Annual 2012 Zebra Chip Reporting Session.

J.T. Trumble, S.M. Prager, G. Kund.  Insect resistance and other factors affecting neonicotinoids in potatoes.  Proceedings of the 12th Annual 2012 Zebra Chip Reporting Session.

S.M. Prager, K. Vaughn, N. Henderson, X. Martini, M. Lewis, and C. Nansen.  behavioral responses by potato psyllids to agro-chemicals. Proceedings of the 11th Annual 2011 Zebra Chip Reporting Session.

C. Nansen, S.M. Prager, B. Qi, X. Martini, O.M. Lewis, and K. Vaughn. Using Hyperspectral Imaging in ZC research. Proceedings of the 11th Annual 2011 Zebra Chip Reporting Session.

S.Seibert, S.M. Prager, et al. Sampling of potato psyllids. Proceedings of the 11th Annual 2011 Zebra Chip Reporting Session.

S. Prager. 2006. Workers that don’t work in Xylocopa virginica. Invited Symposia: The myth of the sterile worker: A reconsideration of worker reproductive options in social Hymenoptera without morphological castes. 2006 IUSSI Congress, Washington, DC. August 2006.

S.M. Prager. 2004. Behaviour of female Xylocopa virginica in southern Ontario. Toronto Entomology Association Annual Meeting and Newsletter. Toronto, Ontario.

S.M. Prager. 2002. Social behaviour in the large carpenter bees Xylocopa. Toronto Entomology Association Spring Newsletter.

J. Dennehy, C. Vitek, S. Prager and T. Livdahl. 2000. Bet hedging and habitat uncertainty: variation in hatch timing is associated with annual precipitation in a tree hole mosquito, Aedes triseriatus. Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting, Snowbird, Utah, August 2000.

C.J. Vitek, J. Dennehy, S. Prager and T.P. Livdahl. 2000. Variable timing of egg hatch and its relation to annual precipitation in populations of Aedes triseriatus. XXI International Congress of Entomology, Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil, August, 2000.

Invited Talks

Sean M. Prager and John T. Trumble. 2013. Status of vegetable pests in Southern California and management of psyllids on solanaceous vegetable crops. 2013 Entomological Society of American Annual Meeting.

Sean M. Prager and John T. Trumble. 2013. Insect repellents, pesticide resistance, and breeding for resistance to potato psyllid to manage Zebra Chip disease. 2013 American Phytopathological Society Caribbean and Pacific Divisions Joint Meeting.

Sean Prager.  2013. Choice and Preference in Arthropods.  Univeristy of California, Riverside, Department of Entomology

Sean Prager. 2010. Social behaviors in a northern population of large carpenter bees.  University of Delaware, Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology. March 2010.

Sean Prager and M. Richards. 2004. Social behaviour in an allegedly solitary bee. International Union for the Study of Social Insects-North American Section, Camp Tontozona, Arizona.

Sean Prager. 2006. Workers that don’t work in Xylocopa virginica. Symposia: The myth of the sterile worker: A reconsideration of worker reproductive options in social Hymenoptera without morphological castes. 2006 IUSSI Congress, Washington, DC. August 2006.