Research Interests

The overall focus of research in my lab is to understand the causes and consequences of reproductive decisions and habitat choice, with bark beetles (Scolytinae) as my favoured study system.  Currently, we are working on two areas: offspring size and sex ratios, and the distribution of organisms across heterogeneous landscapes.  Although these areas seem to be far apart in the spectrum of ecology, they are both approached from the perspective of allocation decisions by individuals maximizing their fitness.  The pest status of some bark beetles provides useful tools and opportunities for both basic and applied research.

Courses Taught

Graduate Students

Selected publications

• Reid, M. L. and J. R. C. Purcell. 2011. Condition-dependent tolerance of monoterpenes in an insect herbivore. Arthropod-Plant Interactions DOI 10.1007/s11829-011-9137-4
• Randall L.A,. Barclay R.M.R., Reid M.L., Jung T.S. 2011. Recent infestation of forest stands by spruce beetles does not predict habitat use by little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) in southwestern Yukon, Canada. Forest Ecology and Management 261: 1950-1956.
• Elkin C.M. and M.L. Reid. 2010. Shifts in breeding habitat selection behaviour in response to population density. Oikos 119:1070-1080
• Reid, M.L. and O. Baruch. 2010. Mutual mate choice by mountain pine beetles: size-dependence but not size-assortative mating. Ecological Entomology  35:69-76.
• Latty T.M. and M.L. Reid. 2010. Who goes first? Condition and danger dependent pioneering in a group-living beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae). Behavioral  Ecology and Sociobiology 64:639-646.
• Latty, T. M. and Reid, M. L. 2009. First in line or first in time? Effects of settlement order and arrival date on reproduction  of a group-living beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae. Journal of Animal Ecology J. Anim. Ecol. 78: 549-555.
  
• Trzcinski, M. K. and Reid, M. L. 2009. Intrinsic and extrinsic determinants of mountain pine beetle population growth. Agricultural and Forest Entomology 11: 185-196.
  
• Trzcinski, M. K. and Reid, M. L. 2008. Effect of management on the spatial spread of mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) in Banff National Park. Forest Ecology and Management 256: 1418-1426.
  
• Reid, T. G. and Reid, M. L. 2008. Fluorescent dust marking reduces condition but not survivorship in mountain pine beetles. Canadian Entomologist 140: 582-588.
  
• Park, J. and Reid, M. L. 2007. Distribution of a bark beetle, Trypodendron lineatum, in a harvested landscape. Forest Ecology and Management 242: 236-242.
• Stamps, J. A., V. V. Krishnan and M. L. Reid. 2005. Search costs and habitat selection by dispersers. Ecology 86: 510-518.
• Elkin, C. M. and M. L. Reid. 2005. Low energy reserves and energy allocation decisions affect reproduction by mountain pine beetles (Dendroctonus ponderosae). Functional Ecology 19: 102-109.
• Elkin, C. M. and M. L. Reid. 2004. Attack and reproductive success of mountain pine beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) in fire-damaged lodgepole pines. Environ. Entomol. 33: 1070-1080.
• Reid, M. L. 2004. Bark beetles. in Encyclopedia of Forest Sciences. J. Burley, J. Evans and J. A. Youngquist, eds. Elsevier. pp. 119-126.