Paul G. Becher
Associate professor
Department of Plant Protection Biology
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Sweden
Biography
Paul G. Becher is an Associate professor in Chemical Ecology and researcher in the Department of Plant Protection Biology. He did Diploma in Biology, University of Freiburg, Germany. He initially investigated food quality effects (lipds) and chemical defense mechanisms (neurotoxic alkaloids) of aquatic microbes on invertebrates. Since 2006 he is working on insect sensory physiology and behaviour and aim to combine basic research with the development of sustainable control methods for horticultural and agricultural pest insects. He is expertise in the field of chemical ecology, plant protection, entomology, microbiology, behavioural assays.He is a subject editor for the Journal of Pest Science and review editor for Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (subject chemical ecology).
Research Interest
Chemically mediated interactions between organisms like host finding and sexual communication; Study the importance of microbial signals on plant-insect interactions; Use of Drosophila melanogaster with applied aspects to control the fruit pest Drosophila suzukii.
Publications
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Lebreton S, Trona S, Borrero-Echeverry F, Bilz F, Becher PG, et al., (2015) Feeding regulates sex pheromone attraction and courtship in Drosophila females. Scintific Reports 5: 13132.
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Hamby KA, Becher PG (2016) Current knowledge of interactions between Drosophila suzukii and microbes, and their potential utility for pest management. Journal of Pest Science 89: 621–630.
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Mori BA, Whitener AB, Leinweber Y, Revadi S, Becher PG, et al., (2016) Enhanced yeast feeding following mating facilitates control of the invasive fruit pest Drosophila suzukii. Journal of Applied Ecology.
