Mosquito and cicada seasons entering their peak activity

With the arrival of summer and rising temperatures, two familiar seasonal phenomena will dramatically return: swarms of mosquitoes buzzing in major cities in the United States, and cicadas chirping underground years later.

University experts can discuss the upcoming season of mosquitoes and cicadas.

The life cycle of cicadas, discovery of insect species, and biodiversity

biological sciences
Discuss the lifecycle of cicadas and the mechanisms behind the evolution of new species. His research integrates natural history, genomics, and field experiments to understand how natural selection drives the emergence of new species.

Professor Pearson has been involved in the discovery of biodiversity, including over 20 new insects along the Gulf Coast of Texas, as well as interdisciplinary projects utilizing environmental DNA to monitor biodiversity and detect rare species.

Li, Assistant Professor of Earth, Environment and Planetary Science, as well as Civil and Environmental Engineering, is an expert on the impact of rising temperatures on the spread of infectious diseases and how urbanization creates new habitats for disease carrying vectors such as mosquitoes.
She is a key member of the Texas Virome Project, which aims to predict and prevent climate driven pandemics by integrating climate science, metagenomics, and machine learning.

Biology professors study changes in temperature conditions and the timing of seasonal events, including the appearance of insects, and how they affect the dynamics and structure of populations and communities. He studies how these factors affect the process of regulating animal populations and their distribution, as well as the interactions between species. Intended to develop predictive models to help explain how these factors shape the balance of life in ecosystems.