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Raguso, Robert A.
Cornell Faculty Member
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I study plant-insect interactions from molecules to ecosystems. I am an integrative and comparative biologist with an interest in the chemical senses. Everything begins with natural history.
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Affiliations
Research
research overview
- Floral scent, the focus of my research, is a key sensory component of plant-pollinator communication, a poorly explored dimension of floral phenotype, and a major chemical expression of biological diversity. I work at the rich biological interface between insects and plants, an important source of terrestrial biodiversity and complex ecological interactions. To a great extent, this richness is manifested in chemistry: the chemistry of defense and resistance, of mimicry and deception, of communication between mutualists, and in physiology; the physiology of signal detection and processing, of sensory integration and its impact on behavior. My training in plant and insect biology reflects my commitment to understanding chemical communication from the standpoints of signal production and detection. Due to technological challenges and historical visual biases among pollination biologists, the study of floral scent remains a biological frontier with unlimited potential for novel research initiatives. During the past decade, I have dedicated myself to the goal of integrating floral scent into the field of pollination biology, through my own multidisciplinary studies and publication of several review papers, through training students and postdocs in volatile analysis and behavioral bioassays and through organizing and chairing the first Gordon Research Conference in my field.
research activities
principal investigator on
- COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: COMPONENTS OF FLORAL ATTRACTION IN A FUNCTIONALLY SPECIALIZED BUT ECOLOGICALLY GENERALIZED FLOWER GUILD awarded by DIRECTORATE FOR BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES NSF 2008 - 2013
- COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: SCALE AND CONTEXT DEPENDENCE OF RELATIVE HUMIDITY TO ADULT MANDUCA SEXTA BEHAVIOR awarded by DIRECTORATE FOR BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES NSF 2010 - 2012
- TRANSCRIPT PROFILING: A COMPLEMENTARY APPROACH TO SCENT ENGINEERING awarded by FRED C. GLOECKNER FDN 2010 - 2011
other area(s) of concentration/expertise
- pollination, signal evolution, sensory biology, behavior
keywords
- Behavioral sequence analysis
- design and interpretation of behavioral assays
- gas chromatography-mass spectrometry
- identification of floral volatiles
- insect electrophysiology
- phylogenetic mapping of floral traits
- plant volatile biosynthesis
submitted impact statement
Publications
individual publications
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academic article
- Corolla shape vs. size in flower choice by a nocturnal hawkmoth pollinator.. Functional Ecology. 26:577-587. 2012
- Floral humidity as a reliable sensory cue for profitability assessment by nectar-foraging hawkmoths.. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 109:9471-9476. 2012
- Floral scent in bird- and beetle-pollinated Protea species (Proteaceae): chemistry, emission rates and function.. Phytochemistry. 84:78-87. 2012
- Natural selection in floral volatile production in Penstemon digitalis: Highlighting the role of linalool.. Plant Signaling and Behavior. 2012
- New Synthesis: Exploring the chemical links in ecological food webs.. Journal of Chemical Ecology. 38:441. 2012
- Phenotypic selection to increase floral scent emission, but not flower size or colour in bee-pollinated Penstemon digitalis.. New Phytologist. 195:667-675. 2012
- Are eavesdroppers multimodal? Sensory exploitation of floral signals by a non-native cockroach (Blatta orientalis). Current Zoology. 57:162-174. 2011
- Dosage-dependent impacts of a floral volatile on pollinators, larcenists and the potential for floral evolution in the alpine skypilot, olemonium viscosum. American Naturalist. 177:258-272. 2011
- First evidence of insect attraction by a Southern Hemisphere Splachnaceae: The case of Tayloria dubyi in the Reserve Biosphere Cape Horn, Chile. Nova Hedwiga. 92:317-326. 2011
- For love of Eisner. Journal of Chemical Ecology. 37:546-547. 2011
- Plant-insect interactions. Phytochemistry. 72:1495-1496. 2011
- Pollinator attraction to volatiles from virgin and pollinated host flowers in a yucca/moth obligate mutualism. Oikos: A Journal of Ecology. 120:1577-1583. 2011
- Alarm pheromone habituation in Myzus persicae has fitness consequences and causes extensive gene expression changes. Proceedings at the National Academy of Science USA. 107:14673-14678. 2010
- Fenología reproductiva del musgo Tayloria dubyi en las turberas dela Reserva de Biosfera Cabo de Hornos: un caso de interacción entre musgo, dípterous y aves.. Revista Chilena de Historia Natural. 83:195-206. 2010
- Floral evolution as a figment of the imagination of pollinators.. Trends in Ecology and Evolution. 25:382-383. 2010
- Spatial patterns and developmental differences of scent emission in flowerheads of beetle-pollinated Protea species (Proteaceae). South African Journal of Botany. 76:779-787. 2010
- Spatiotemporal variation in the reproductive ecology of two parapatric subspecies of Oenothera cespitosa (Onagraceae). American Journal of Botany. 97:1498-1510. 2010
- The pigment-scent connection: do mutations in regulatory vs. structural anthocyanin genes differentially alter floral scent production in Ipomoea purpurea? . South African Journal of Botany. 76:632-642. 2010
- A simple floral fragrance and unusual osmophore structure in Cyclopogon elatus (Orchidaceae).. Plant Biology. 11:506-514. 2009
- A simple floral fragrance and unusual osmophore structure in Cyclopogon elatus (Orchidaceae).. Plant Biology. 11:506-514. 2009
- Extreme variation in floral characters and its consequences for pollinator attraction among populations of an Andean cactus. Annals of Botany. 103:1489-1500. 2009
- Flexible responses to visual and olfactory stimuli by foraging Manduca sexta: larval nutrition affects adult behaviour.. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B. 276:2739-2745. 2009
- Sources of floral scent variation: can environment define floral scent phenotype? . Plant Signaling and Behavior. 4:129-131. 2009
- The ecology and evolution of fly-dispersed dung mosses (Family Splachnaceae): manipulating insect behaviour through odour and visual cues. Symbiosis. . 2009
- The olfactory component of floral display in Asimina and Deeringothamnus (Annonaceae).. New Phytologist. 183:457-469. 2009
- The sweet smell of success: floral scent affects pollinator attraction and seed fitness in Hesperis matronalis. Functional Ecology. 23:480-487. 2009
- Context- and scale-dependent effects of floral CO2 on nectar foraging by Manduca sexta.. Proceedings at the National Academy of Science USA. 105:4565-4570. 2008
- Geographic Divergence in Floral Morphology and Scent in Linanthus dichotomus (Polemoniaceae).. American Journal of Botany. 95:1652-1659. 2008
- Geographic variation in floral scent of Echinopsis ancistrophora (Cactaceae); evidence for constraints on hawkmoth attraction.. Oikos: A Journal of Ecology. 117:801-814. 2008
- The impact of biochemistry vs. population membership on floral scent profiles in colour polymorphic Hesperis matronalis. Annals of Botany. 102:911-922. 2008
- Why do Manduca sexta feed from white flowers? Innate and learnt colour preferences in a hawkmoth.. Naturwissenschaften. 95:569-576. 2008
- Flower color-flower scent associations in polymorphic Hesperis matronalis (Brassicaceae). Phytochemistry. 68:865-874. 2007
- The challenge of attracting pollinators while evading floral herbivores: Patterns of fragrance emission in Cirsium arvense and Cirsium repandum (Asteraceae).. International Journal of Plant Science. 168:587-601. 2007
- The influence of larval diet on adult feeding behaviour in the tobacco hornworm moth, Manduca sexta. Journal of Insect Physiology. 53:923-932. 2007
- The effect of pollination on floral fragrance in thistles (Cirsium, asteraceae). Journal of Chemical Ecology. 31:2581-2600. 2005
- The scent of a male: the role of floral volatiles in pollination of a gender dimorphic plant. Ecology. 86:2099-2105. 2005
- Trends in floral scent chemistry in pollination syndromes: floral scent composition in hummingbird-pollinated taxa. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 146:191-199. 2004
- Why are some floral nectars scented?. Ecology. 85. 2004
- Effects of dietary variation on growth, composition, and maturation of Manduca sexta.. Journal of Insect Physiology. 49:293-306. 2003
- Fragrance chemistry, nocturnal rhythms and pollination “syndromes” in Nicotiana.. Phytochemistry. 63:265-284. 2003
- The systematic utility of floral and vegetative fragrance in two genera of Nyctaginaceae. Systematic Biology. 52:334-351. 2003
- Trumpet flowers of the Sonoran Desert: Floral biology of Peniocereus cacti and Sacred Datura. International Journal of Plant Biology. 164:877-892. 2003
- Synergy between visual and olfactory cues in nectar feeding by naïve hawkmoths. Animal Behaviour. 64. 2002
- Fragrance chemistry and pollinator affinities in Nyctaginaceae. Phytochemistry. 58:429-440. 2001
- Bumblebee foraging at snapdragon flowers (Antirrhinum: Scrophulariaceae): responses to variation in floral color and scent. American Midland Naturalist. 142:257-265. 1999
- Acetyl CoA:Benzylalcohol Acetyltransferase - an enzyme involved in floral scent production in Clarkia breweri. The Plant Journal. 14:297-304. 1998
- Dynamic headspace analysis of floral volatiles: a comparison of methods. Oikos: A Journal of Ecology. 81. 1998
- Electroantennogram responses of Sphinx perelegans (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) to floral & vegetative compounds. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata. 86:287-293. 1998
- Floral scent production in Clarkia breweri III: Biosynthesis and emission of benzenoid esters. Plant Physiology. 116:599-604. 1998
- Floral scent production in Clarkia breweri II. Localization and developmental modulation of the novel enzyme SAM:(Iso)eugenol O-methyltransferase and phenylpropanoid emission. Plant Physiology. 114:213-221. 1997
- Preliminary checklist and field observations of the butterflies of the Maquipucuna Field Station (Pichincha Province, Ecuador). Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera. 32:135-161. 1993
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article
- Are eavesdroppers multimodal? Sensory exploitation of floral signals by a non-native cockroach (Blatta orientalis) 2011
- Dosage-dependent impacts of a floral volatile on pollinators, larcenists and the potential for floral evolution in the alpine skypilot, Polemonium viscosum 2011
- First evidence of insect attraction by a Southern Hemisphere Splachnaceae: The case of Tayloria dubyi in the Reserve Biosphere Cape Horn, Chile 2011
- Mycorrhizae mediate host plant reproduction through effects on floral signals, pollinator rewards and behavior of floral visitors 2011
- Mycorrhizae mediate host plant reproduction through effects on floral signals, pollinator rewards, and behavior of floral visitors 2011
- Pollinator attraction to volatiles from virgin and pollinated host flowers in a yucca/moth obligate mutualism 2011
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booksection
- Floral Volatiles 2011
-
conference paper
- Hawkmoth pollination in Arizona's Sonoran Desert: Behavioral responses to floral traits. Evolution and Ecology Taking Flight: Butterflies as Model Systems. 2003
-
document part
- All in the family: assessing floral pigment-floral scent associations in the genus Phlox 2011
- Entomophily and scent mimicry in Newfoundland dung mosses (Splachnaceae) 2011
- Evening perfumes: insights from floral scents and non-scents in the Onagraceae 2011
- Floral attraction in Penstemon digitalis: display, scents, and colour 2011
- Floral chemotype variation in the evening primrose Oenothera acaulis (Onagraceae) in central Chile in Andean and coastal populations 2011
- Intraspecific variation in floral display and breeding system in Oenothera flava (Onagraceae) 2011
- Secret handshakes or recycled PINs? Chemical mediation of specificity in plant-pollinator interactions 2011
- Chemical mimicry and behavioural manipulation by Dung Mosses (Splachnaceae), Sept. 26 - October 1, 2010 2010
- Emerging patterns of volatile chemistry in the Yucca‐Yucca moth mutualism 2010
- Evolutionary Ecology of Diptera pollinators 2010
- Hawkmoth pollination of Oenothera in a fragmented landscape – variation in scent, floral morphology, nectar and neutral genetic markers. 2010
- Patterns of floral phenotype in Asimina and Deeringothamnus (Annonaceae). 2010
- Something about Water – Do Moths use Humidity Gradients as an Indicator for a Nectar‐rich Flower? 2010
- The importance of floral scent in the evolutionary shift from bird to beetle pollination in Protea 2010
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review
- “Multiplicity in unity”, by C.M. Herrera. 146-147. 2011
- Book review of “A Neotropical Companion” by John Kricher. 242. 1999
- Planat-insect interactions 2011
- Thomas Eisner June 25, 1929 - March 25, 2011 2011
- Perspective: The “invisible hand” of floral chemistry 2008
- Start making scents: the challenge of integrating chemistry into pollination ecology 2008
- Wake up and smell the roses: the ecology and evolution of floral scent 2008
- Behavioral responses to floral scent: experimental manipulations and the interplay of sensory modalities 2006
- The sweet stench of decay 2006
- Scent as an attractant 2005
- Sensory flexibility in hawkmoth foraging behavior: lessons from Manduca sexta and other species 2005
- Señales olfativas en la biología de la polinización 2005
- Flowers as sensory billboards: progress towards an integrated understanding of floral advertisement 2004
- Why do flowers smell? The chemical ecology of fragrance-driven pollination 2004
- Olfactory landscapes and deceptive pollination: signal, noise and convergent evolution in floral scent 2003
- Floral scent, olfaction and scent-driven foraging behavior 2001
- A day in the life of a linalool molecule: chemical communication in a plant-pollinator system. Part 1: Linalool biosynthesis in flowering plants 1999
- Moths 1999
- Las mariposas de la Estación de Biología “Los Tuxtlas”, Veracruz, México 1997
- Conocimiento ambiental en el sur de Chile: un análisis preliminar 1993
featured in archived article
speaker at Cornell event
Teaching
teaching overview
- My goals as an instructor are to nurture independent, critical thinking, to foster an appreciation for the process of science, and to empower students to direct their enthusiasm and interests toward productive educational experiences and careers. I respect diversity in the learning styles, opinions and backgrounds of my students, and I do not direct my teaching only to the most gifted or the most challenged students. In addition, I teach with multiple media and encourage my students to immerse themselves in their subject of study, through attending outside seminars, using the internet, relating course material to current events and interviewing other scientists engaged in that particular field of study. The energy and creativity that I have invested in my teaching activities has attracted many bright young students to my lab and revealed new, exciting directions for my research. My teaching at Cornell consists of lectures contributed to large undergraduate courses (BioNB2210 Intro to Animal Behavior; BioNB390 Chemical Ecology) to smaller topics courses (BioNB4200 Multimodal Communication), including a new course (BioNB 4460) on the subject of Plant Behavior.
teaching activities
- BIOEE-3690: Chemical Ecology - Spring 2013
- BIOEE-4460: Plant Behavior - Induced Plant Responses to Biotic Stresses, Lectures - Spring 2013
- BIOEE-4461: Plant Behavior - Induced Plant Responses to Biotic Stresses, Laboratory - Spring 2013
- BIOEE-7640: Plant-Insect Interactions Seminar - Spring 2013
- BIONB-3690: Chemical Ecology - Spring 2013
- BIONB-4460: Plant Behavior - Induced Plant Responses to Biotic Stresses, Lectures - Spring 2013
- BIONB-4461: Plant Behavior - Induced Plant Responses to Biotic Stresses, Laboratory - Spring 2013
- BIONB-7640: Plant-Insect Interactions Seminar - Spring 2013
- BIOPL-7490: Graduate Research in Botany - Spring 2013
- ENTOM-3690: Chemical Ecology - Spring 2013
- ENTOM-7640: Plant-Insect Interactions Seminar - Spring 2013
- BIOEE-7640: Plant-Insect Interactions Seminar - Fall 2012
- BIONB-7640: Plant-Insect Interactions Seminar - Fall 2012
- BIOPL-7490: Graduate Research in Botany - Fall 2012
- ENTOM-7640: Plant-Insect Interactions Seminar - Fall 2012
- BIOEE-3690: Chemical Ecology - Spring 2012
- BIOEE-7640: Plant-Insect Interactions Seminar - Spring 2012
- BIONB-3690: Chemical Ecology - Spring 2012
- BIONB-4260: Animal Communication - Spring 2012
- BIONB-7640: Plant-Insect Interactions Seminar - Spring 2012
- BIOPL-7490: Graduate Research in Botany - Spring 2012
- ENTOM-3690: Chemical Ecology - Spring 2012
- ENTOM-7640: Plant-Insect Interactions Seminar - Spring 2012
- BIOEE-7640: Plant-Insect Interactions Seminar - Fall 2011
- BIONB-7640: Plant-Insect Interactions Seminar - Fall 2011
- BIOPL-7490: Graduate Research in Botany - Fall 2011
- ENTOM-7640: Plant-Insect Interactions Seminar - Fall 2011
recent courses taught
-
Introduction to Behavior (BioNB 221)
Chemical Ecology (BioNB 369)
Service
service to the profession
- Ecology, Journal of Chemical Ecology Board Member 2012 -
- NSF Animal Behavior Panalist Committee Member 2010 -
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology Board of Advisors 2008 -
- American Chemoreception Society
- Organizing Committee, "Assoc. of Southeastern Biologists 68th Annual Meeting", Assoc. of Southeastern Biologists
- Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology
- AI-SPER-0203DF692AB00010814 Co-chair 2009
- Agricultural University of Sweden Reviewer, Program - 2009
- Institute of International Education-Fulbright Program Research Review Panel - 2009
- Organizing Committee, "12 Biennial Congress", International Society of Behavioral Ecology Committee Member 2008
- Symposium, "Floral advertisements and rewards", XXIII International Congress of Entomology Co-Chair 2008
- Symposium, "3rd Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Floral and Plant Volatiles", Les Diablerets Co-Chair - 2007
- Symposium, "1st Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Floral and Plant Volatiles" Chairperson - 1999
reviewer or editor for
- American Journal of Botany
- Biological Journal of Chemical Ecology
- Caffeine nectar, Science Magazine
- Cineole synthase, Plant Molecular Biology
- Ecology
- Ecology Letters
- Ecology, Journal of Chemical Ecology
- Fig scent informatics, Journal of Chemical Ecology
- Functional Ecology
- Genetics
- JCE
- Journal of Chemical Ecology
- Journal of Chemical Ecology "New Synthesis" column
- Keystone Molecules, Biological Bulletin
- Naturwissenschaft
- New Synthesis, Journal of Chemical Ecology
- Nicotine and selfing, Ecology Letters
- Niemeyer
- Oikos
- PLOS-One
- PNAS
- PNAS
- PNAS
- PNAS
- PRSB
- Pashalidou manuscript for Ecology
- Perspectives in Plant Ecol. Evol. Syst.
- Phytochemistry feature on plant-animal interacations
- Plant Biology
- PlosONE
- Science
- Sinauer Associates
- TREE
- VOC
event host
Background
education and training
- Ph.D. in Biology, University of Michigan 1995
- University of Michigan 1991
- Stanford University 1989
- B.S. in Biology - Honors Research Thesis, Yale University 1987
awards and honors
- Fulbright Senior Fellow, 2006
Other
college
- CALS
research keyword
- Behavioral sequence analysis
- design and interpretation of behavioral assays
- gas chromatography-mass spectrometry
- identification of floral volatiles
- insect electrophysiology
- phylogenetic mapping of floral traits
- plant volatile biosynthesis
name prefix
- Professor