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Ecology and Evolution

D-Index
33
Citations
8561
World Ranking
7752
National Ranking
473

Overview

M. Alex Smith is affiliated with the University of Guelph in Canada and specializes in research within Agricultural and Biological Sciences and Environmental Science. Their work encompasses multiple aspects of ecology, evolution, behavior, systematics, and genetics, contributing to subfields such as Ecology, Insect Science, and Ecological Modeling.

The main topics of their research include:

  • Hymenoptera taxonomy and phylogeny
  • Forest Insect Ecology and Management
  • Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy
  • Insect-Plant Interactions and Control
  • Plant and animal studies
  • Species Distribution and Climate Change
  • Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior

Smith's recent publications illustrate a focus on insect taxonomy, biodiversity, and molecular techniques in ecology. Notable papers include:

  • "Minimalist revision and description of 403 new species in 11 subfamilies of Costa Rican braconid parasitoid wasps, including host records for 219 species" (2021), published in ZooKeys
  • "Torix Rickettsia are widespread in arthropods and reflect a neglected symbiosis" (2021), published in GigaScience
  • "Comparison of traditional and DNA metabarcoding samples for monitoring tropical soil arthropods (Formicidae, Collembola and Isoptera)" (2022), published in Scientific Reports
  • "Using DNA-barcoded Malaise trap samples to measure impact of a geothermal energy project on the biodiversity of a Costa Rican old-growth rain forest" (2020), published in Genome
  • "Diversity and phylogenetic community structure across elevation during climate change in a family of hyperdiverse neotropical beetles (Staphylinidae)" (2021), published in Ecography

Frequent publication venues for Smith include Biodiversity Data Journal, ZooKeys, Biotropica, Diversity, and Biomimetics, indicating a consistent contribution to journals dedicated to biodiversity and biological sciences.

Smith has collaborated extensively with fellow researchers such as Daniel H. Janzen, Winnie Hallwachs, Paul D. N. Hebert, Ramya Manjunath, and Sujeevan Ratnasingham. These collaborations are reflected through numerous coauthored works and suggest an active engagement in team-based research projects.

Best Publications

  • Dispersal and the metapopulation paradigm in amphibian ecology and conservation : are all amphibian populations metapopulations?

    M. Alex Smith;David M. Green

  • DNA barcodes reveal cryptic host-specificity within the presumed polyphagous members of a genus of parasitoid flies (Diptera: Tachinidae)

    M. Alex Smith;Norman E. Woodley;Daniel H. Janzen;Winnie Hallwachs

  • A minimalist barcode can identify a specimen whose DNA is degraded

    Mehrdad Hajibabaei;M. Alex Smith;Daniel H. Janzen;Josephine J. Rodriguez

  • Extreme diversity of tropical parasitoid wasps exposed by iterative integration of natural history, DNA barcoding, morphology, and collections

    M. Alex Smith;Josephine J. Rodriguez;James B. Whitfield;Andrew R. Deans

  • DNA barcoding for effective biodiversity assessment of a hyperdiverse arthropod group: the ants of Madagascar

    M. Alex Smith;Brian L Fisher;Paul D.N Hebert

  • DNA barcodes affirm that 16 species of apparently generalist tropical parasitoid flies (Diptera, Tachinidae) are not all generalists

    M. Alex Smith;D. Monty Wood;Daniel H. Janzen;Winnie Hallwachs

  • Integration of DNA Barcoding Into An Ongoing Inventory of Complex Tropical Biodiversity

    Daniel H. Janzen;Winnie Hallwachs;Patrick Blandin;John M. Burns

  • DNA BARCODING: CO1 DNA barcoding amphibians: take the chance, meet the challenge.

    M. Alex Smith;Nikolai A. Poyarkov;Paul D. N. Hebert

  • Wolbachia and DNA Barcoding Insects: Patterns, Potential, and Problems

    M. Alex Smith;Claudia Bertrand;Kate Crosby;Eldon S. Eveleigh

  • A Revision of Malagasy Species of Anochetus Mayr and Odontomachus Latreille (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

    Brian L. Fisher;M. Alex Smith

  • Molecular detection of trophic links in a complex insect host-parasitoid food web.

    Jan Hrcek;Scott E. Miller;Donald L. J. Quicke;Donald L. J. Quicke;M. Alex Smith

  • A turbo-taxonomic study of Thai Aleiodes (Aleiodes) and Aleiodes (Arcaleiodes) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Rogadinae) based largely on COI barcoded specimens, with rapid descriptions of 179 new species

    Buntika Areekul Butcher;M. Alex Smith;Mike J. Sharkey;Donald L. J. Quicke

  • CO1 DNA barcoding amphibians: take the chance, meet the challenge

    M. Alex Smith;Nikolai A. Poyarkov

  • Review of Apanteles sensu stricto (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae) from Area de Conservación Guanacaste, northwestern Costa Rica, with keys to all described species from Mesoamerica.

    Jose L. Fernandez-Triana;James B. Whitfield;Josephine J. Rodriguez;M. Alex Smith

  • Sex, isolation and fidelity: unbiased long-distance dispersal in a terrestrial amphibian

    M. Alex Smith;David M. Green

  • Extrapolations from field studies and known faunas converge on dramatically increased estimates of global microgastrine parasitoid wasp species richness (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

    Josephine J. Rodriguez;Jose L. Fernández-Triana;M. Alex Smith;Daniel H. Janzen

  • DNA barcoding and the taxonomy of Microgastrinae wasps (Hymenoptera, Braconidae): impacts after 8 years and nearly 20 000 sequences.

    M. Alex Smith;J. L. Fernández-Triana;J. L. Fernández-Triana;E. Eveleigh;J. Gómez

  • Minimalist revision and description of 403 new species in 11 subfamilies of Costa Rican braconid parasitoid wasps, including host records for 219 species.

    Michael J. Sharkey;Daniel H. Janzen;Winnie Hallwachs;Eric G. Chapman

  • DNA barcode accumulation curves for understudied taxa and areas.

    M. Alex Smith;Jose Fernandez-Triana;Rob Roughley;Paul D. N. Hebert

  • Invasions, DNA barcodes, and rapid biodiversity assessment using ants of Mauritius

    M Alex Smith;Brian L Fisher

  • Barcoding a quantified food web: crypsis, concepts, ecology and hypotheses.

    M. Alex Smith;Eldon S. Eveleigh;Eldon S. Eveleigh;Kevin S. McCann;Mark T. Merilo

Frequent Co-Authors

Daniel H. Janzen
Daniel H. Janzen University of Pennsylvania
Winnie Hallwachs
Winnie Hallwachs University of Pennsylvania
Paul D. N. Hebert
Paul D. N. Hebert University of Guelph
James B. Whitfield
James B. Whitfield University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Donald L. J. Quicke
Donald L. J. Quicke Chulalongkorn University
Scott E. Miller
Scott E. Miller National Museum of Natural History
Mehrdad Hajibabaei
Mehrdad Hajibabaei University of Guelph
Kevin S. McCann
Kevin S. McCann University of Guelph
Mark R Shaw
Mark R Shaw National Museum of Natural History
Brian L. Fisher
Brian L. Fisher California Academy of Sciences

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Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

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