Research Interests:

Research in our lab is focussed on two general areas. The first is the systematics of the Platygastroidea, an economically important and biologically fascinating group of parasitic wasps. The work is presently funded through two grants from the National Science Foundation. One, entitled REVSYS: Classification, phylogeny, and biology of the Scelionidae (Hymenoptera), is being conducted in collaboration with Dr. Luciana Musetti and Dr. Lubomír Masner (Canadian National Collection of Insects) with the goal of a revision of the world genera of the family. The second project is funded by the Planetary Biodiversity Inventory program of NSF and is entitled: Diversity and the parasitoid life-history strategy: the superfamily Platygastroidea (Hymenoptera). This is a multimillion dollar project that brings together a team of 13 participants from 9 countries with the goal of a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of the superfamily, description of all of the species of a major group (the Scelionini, with over 2,000 species), and extensive field work and collecting around the world.

Our second area of interest is biodiversity informatics, the collection, storage, management, analysis, and dissemination of data on the distribution of species around the world. Part of this effort involves the databasing of our collections, both C.A. Triplehorn Insect Collection, and we are working with Hans Klompen on another NSF project entitled Digitization of the OSU Acaralogy Collection.

Key Recent Publications:

Johnson, N. F. 2007. Biodiversity informatics. Annual Review of Entomology 52: 421-438.

Johnson, N. F. and L. Masner. 2006. Revision of world species of the genus Nixonia Masner (Hymenoptera: Platygastroidea, Scelionidae). American Museum Novitates 3518: 1-32.

Austin, A. D., N. F. Johnson, and M. Dowton. 2005. Systematics, evolution and biology of scelionid and platygastrid wasps. Annual Review of Entomology 50:553-582.

Triplehorn, C. A. and N. F. Johnson. 2004. Borror and DeLong's ntroduction to the study of insects. Seventh edition. Thomson Brooks/Cole, Belmont CA. 846 pp.