Overview
 Research in our lab (the Great Basin Bug Lab, a.k.a the Forister lab at the University of Nevada, Reno) is focused on the ecology and evolution of interspecific interactions, population biology, and the conservation of insects and Lepidoptera in particular. Check out the links above to find our publications and read about what individual people are doing. Ongoing projects in the lab include: ● The evolution of diet breadth in herbivorous insects
● Long-term phenological data along elevational gradients ● Insect conservation and population dynamics ● Hybrid speciation in alpine environments
● Phytochemical mediation of co-evolutionary dynamics
● Fungal endophytes in plant-insect interactions
● Sexual selection and the evolution of honest signals
Why the "bug" lab? We are using bug in the colloquial sense to mean insects in general, and to reflect our interest in the little things that comprise the majority of multicellular life on Earth. However, our research is not limited to insects, and prospective students should feel free to contact me about research in any area of ecology and evolution (see below for contact information).
For prospective students
We have a PhD program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, as well as a Master's program in Biology. Students interested in joining the lab should check out the relevant links below and contact me (Matt Forister) at forister@gmail.com.
Useful links
University, department and grad group:
Lab meetings:
Local information and organizations that we interact with:
Art's Sierran Butterflies (information on the butterfly diversity in our backyard) Course websites: Ecology and Population Biology (BIOL 314)
 Contact us
The Forister Lab
Department of Biology, mail stop 314
1664 N. Virginia St.
University of Nevada, Reno
Reno, Nevada 89557
Email: forister@gmail.com
Lab phone: (775) 784 - 7083
Fax: (775) 784 - 1302
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