The Forest Insect Ecology lab aims to understand how disturbances influence the structure and function of insect communities in natural and urban forests. This includes natural disturbances such as windstorms and human-induced disturbances such as exotic species. The lab has extensive experience working with ground- and soil-dwelling insects, especially ground beetles (Family Carabidae). With an extension program in forest entomology, Dr. Perry works with a variety of stakeholder groups on issues related to forest insect ecology and management, with a particular focus on invasive forest insects. Dr. Perry teaches or co-teaches several courses including insect ecology, statistics, and the nature and practice of science. Dr. Perry started as Assistant Professor in Forest Entomology in August 2022 and is based at the Wooster Science Building. 
Perry received her Ph.D. in Entomology from the Ohio State University in December 2016, advised by Dr. Dan Herms. She had several postdoctoral research experiences, including a USDA NIFA Postdoctoral Fellowship, and most recently was a postdoctoral research associate at Kent State University.
Publications
Perry, KI, CB Riley, F Fan, J Radl, DA Herms, and MM Gardiner. 2022. The value of hybrid and nonnative ash for the conservation of ash specialists is limited following late stages of emerald ash borer invasion, Agricultural and Forest Entomology, 24: 355-370. doi.org/10.1111/afe.12499
Perry, KI, FS Sivakoff, KF Wallin, JW Wenzel, and DA Herms. 2021. Forest disturbance and arthropods: Small-scale canopy and understory disturbances alter movement of mobile arthropods, Ecosphere, 12(11):e03771. doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3771
Gardiner, MM, KI Perry, CB Riley, KJ Turo, YA Delgado de la flor, and FS Sivakoff. 2021. Community science data suggests that urbanization and forest habitat loss threaten aphidophagous native lady beetles, Ecology and Evolution, 11: 2761-2774. doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7229
Perry, KI, NC Hoekstra, SW Culman, MM Gardiner. 2021. Vacant lot soil degradation and mowing frequency shape communities of belowground invertebrates and urban spontaneous vegetation, Urban Ecosystems, 24(4):737-752. doi.org/10.1007/s11252-020-01069-0
Perry, KI, NC Hoekstra, YA Delgado de la Flor, and MM Gardiner. 2020. Disentangling landscape and local drivers of ground-dwelling beetle community assembly in an urban ecosystem, Ecological Applications 30(8):e02191. doi.org/10.1002/eap.2191
Delgado de la Flor, YA, KI Perry, KJ Turo, DM Parker, JL Thompson, and MM Gardiner. 2020. Local and landscape-scale environmental filters drive the functional diversity and taxonomic composition of spiders across urban greenspaces, Journal of Applied Ecology 57: 1570-1580. doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13636
Perry, KI and DA Herms. 2019. Dynamic responses of ground-dwelling invertebrate communities to disturbance in forest ecosystems, Insects, 10, 61. doi:10.3390/insects10030061, Special Issue: “Ecology and Management of Forest Insects in a Changing World”
Perry, KI, KF Wallin, JW Wenzel, and DA Herms. 2018. Forest disturbance and arthropods: Small-scale canopy gaps drive invertebrate community structure and composition, Ecosphere, 9(10):e02463. doi: 10.1002/ecs2.2463
Riley, CB, KI Perry, KJ Ard, and MM Gardiner. 2018. Asset or liability? Ecological and sociological tradeoffs of urban spontaneous vegetation on vacant land in shrinking cities, Sustainability, 10, 2139. doi:10.3390/su10072139, Special Issue: “Sustaining the Shrinking City: Concepts, Dynamics and Management”
Klooster, WS, KJK Gandhi, L Long, KI Perry, K Rice, DA Herms. 2018. Ecological impacts of emerald ash borer in forests at the epicenter of the invasion in North America, Forests, 9, 250: 1-14. doi:10.3390/f9050250, Special Issue “Understanding and Managing Emerald Ash Borer Impacts on Ash Forests”
Perry, KI, DA Herms, WS Klooster, A Smith, DM Hartzler, DR Coyle, and KJK Gandhi. 2018. Downed coarse woody debris dynamics in ash (Fraxinus spp.) stands invaded by emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire), Forests, 9, 191: 1-14. doi:10.3390/f9040191
Perry, KI and DA Herms. 2017. Effects of late stages of emerald ash borer (Coleoptera: Buprestidae)-induced ash mortality on forest floor invertebrate communities, Journal of Insect Science, 17(6): 119, 1-10. doi: 10.1093/jisesa/iex093
Perry, KI and DA Herms. 2017. Responses of ground-dwelling invertebrates to gap formation and accumulation of woody debris from invasive species, wind, and salvage logging, Forests, 8, 174: 1-13. doi: 10.3390/f8050174
Perry, KI, KF Wallin, JW Wenzel, and DA Herms. 2017. Characterizing movement of ground-dwelling forest arthropods with a novel mark-capture method using fluorescent powder, Journal of Insect Behavior, 30(1): 32-47. doi: 10.1007/s10905-017-9598-0
Perry, KI and DA Herms. 2016. Response of the forest floor invertebrate community to canopy gap formation caused by early stages of emerald ash borer-induced ash mortality, Forest Ecology and Management, 375: 259-267. doi: 10.1016/j.foreco.2016.05.034
Perry, KI and DA Herms. 2016. Short-term responses of ground beetles to forest changes caused by early stages of emerald ash borer (Coleoptera: Buprestidae)-induced ash mortality. Environmental Entomology, 45(3): 616-626. doi: 10.1093/ee/nvw038
Petry, WK, KI Perry, A Fremgen, S Rudeen, M Lopez, J Dryburgh, and KA Mooney. 2013. Mechanisms underlying plant sexual dimorphism in multi-trophic arthropod communities. Ecology 94(9): 2055-2065.
Petry, WK, KI Perry, and KA Mooney. 2012. Influence of macronutrient imbalance on native ant interactions with aphids, aphid enemies, and host plant flowers in the field, Ecological Entomology 37(3): 175-183.
