Paul Bergeron.
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Research / Ecology & experimental design

Asking better questions. Testing the answers.

My scientific work connects ecology, biological control and careful measurement. A Ph.D. in Entomology grounds the way I approach evidence.

Selected study / 2020

Not all predators are equal.

How do we assess a treatment's effects on a pest and the predators that help control it? Explore a coauthored study of efficacy, selectivity and species differences.

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Methods & expertise

From observation to evidence.

My research background includes field and laboratory bioassays, experimental design and R-based statistics, molecular methods including DNA extraction, PCR, qPCR and metabarcoding, and geospatial land-use analysis.

Each method answers a different kind of question. Choosing the measurement is part of the work.

Research practice / Different methods, different questions

From field observations to molecular evidence.

01 / Bioassays

What response did the exposure change?

My work included pesticide selectivity, predator responses and miticide resistance. Defining the organism, exposure and endpoint determines what a comparison can establish.

02 / Molecular methods

What biological material can we detect?

DNA extraction, PCR, qPCR and metabarcoding supported research into biological material and seasonal predatory-mite resource use.

03 / Field & spatial context

What changes outside the laboratory?

My research background also includes predator movement, biodiversity and geospatial analysis of land use in Washington tree-fruit systems.

These describe my broader research background, not methods all used in one paper.

A documented contribution / Published paper, 2023

Formal analysis. Investigation. Original draft.

The contribution statement for Herbicides Harm Key Orchard Predatory Mites credits me with those roles. Read the paper to inspect the experiment and its conclusions.

Inspect the paper and author contributions →

Publications

Selected published work and bibliography from my public research record.

  1. Influence of host use adaptation on the dispersal propensity of Callosobruchus maculatus.

    Bergeron, P.E., S.J. Clary & R.J. Mercader. 2019. Journal of Applied Entomology. doi:10.1111/jen.12632

  2. Not all predators are equal: miticide non-target effects and differential selectivity.

    Bergeron, P.E. & R.A. Schmidt-Jeffris. 2020. Pest Management Science 76:2170–2179. doi:10.1002/ps.5754

  3. Spider mite resistance to miticides in South Carolina strawberry and implications for improved integrated pest management.

    Bergeron, P.E. & R.A. Schmidt-Jeffris. 2021. Experimental and Applied Acarology 84:407–418. doi:10.1007/s10493-021-00621-7

  4. Acaricide Efficacy and Resistance in South Carolina Tomato Populations of Twospotted Spider Mite.

    Schmidt-Jeffris, R., Z. Snipes & P. Bergeron. 2021. Florida Entomologist. doi:10.1653/024.104.0101

  5. Nontarget impacts of herbicides on spiders in orchards.

    Schmidt-Jeffris, R.A., E.A. Moretti, P.E. Bergeron & G. Zilnik. 2021. Journal of Economic Entomology. Published online 2021. doi:10.1093/jee/toab228

  6. Identifying farming strategies associated with achieving global agricultural sustainability.

    Smith, O.M. et al. (including P.E. Bergeron). 2022. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 6:882503. doi:10.3389/fsufs.2022.882503

  7. Small-Scale Amur Honeysuckle Removal and Passive Restoration May Not Create Long-Term Success.

    Emry, D.J., R.J. Mercader, P.E. Bergeron, J.V. Eilert & B.A. Riddle. 2024. Natural Areas Journal 44(2):98. doi:10.3375/2162-4399-44.2.98

  8. Updating integrated mite management 50 years later: comparing laboratory pesticide susceptibility of a “new” generalist predatory mite to a cornerstone specialist predator.

    Bergeron, P.E. & R.A. Schmidt-Jeffris. 2023. Pest Management Science. doi:10.1002/ps.7518

  9. Herbicides Harm Key Orchard Predatory Mites.

    Bergeron, P. & R. Schmidt-Jeffris. 2023. Insects 14(5):480. doi:10.3390/insects14050480