CV & Publications
Address and Contact information
Dr. Phil Lester, School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, P.O. Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand. Phone: +64-4-463-5096, Fax +64-4-5331, E-mail: phil.lester@vuw.ac.nz
Academic History |
| Post-Secondary Teaching Certificate |
2000 - 2001 |
Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA. |
| Ph.D. Biology |
1996 - 1998 |
Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Thesis topic: Predator population persistence and dynamics for biological control of Panonychus ulmi in Ontario orchards. |
M.Sc. (Hons)
Zoology |
1990 - 1992 |
University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Thesis topic: The effects of willow trees (Salix sp.) on the flora and fauna of two Central Otago (N.Z.) streams. |
| B.Sc. Zoology |
1987 - 1990 |
University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. |
| Employment History |
| Senior Lecturer in Entomology & Ecology |
2005 - present |
Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand. |
Lecturer in
Insect Ecology |
2001 - 2004 |
Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand. |
| Postdoctoral Research Associate |
1999 - 2000 |
Department of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management,
Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA. |
Scientist,
Research Associate |
1994 - 1996 |
Post-Harvest Insect Control and Rearing Group, The Horticulture & Food Research Institute of New Zealand. Auckland, New Zealand. |
| Selected Academic Honours & Responsibilities |
| 2009- |
Editorial Board Member, New Zealand Journal of Ecology. |
| 2009- |
Appointment to the Awards Panel of the RSNZ Marsden Fund for Ecology, Evolution & Biodiversity. |
| 2009- |
Appointment to the Awards Panel of the Fulbright NZ Senior Scholar Panel. |
| 2009 |
Election as Vice President, and President in 2011, of the Entomological Society of New Zealand. |
| 2008 |
Fulbright NZ Senior Scholar award. |
Refereed Publications
Lester PJ, Abbott KL, Sarty M & Burns KC. 2009. Competitive assembly of South Pacific invasive ant communities. BMC Ecology 9: 3. [PDF]
McNatty A, Abbott KL & Lester PJ. 2009. Invasive ants compete with and modify the trophic ecology of hermit crabs on tropical islands. Oecologia 160: 187–194. [PDF]
Merrill SC, Holtzer TO, Peairs FB, Lester PJ. 2009. Modeling spatial variation of Russian wheat aphid overwintering population densities in Colorado winter wheat. Journal of Economic Entomology 102: 533–541. [PDF]
Sagata K & Lester PJ. 2009. Behavioural plasticity associated with propagule size, resources, and the invasion success of the Argentine ant Linepithema humile. Journal of Applied Ecology46: 19–27. [PDF]
Lester PJ. 2008. Integrated pest management: an under-utilized tool for conservation and the management of invasive ants and their mutualistic Hemiptera in the Pacific. Pacific Conservation Biology 14: 246–247. [PDF]
Corin SE, Ritchie PA & Lester PJ. 2008. Introduction pathway analysis into New Zealand highlights a source population ‘hotspot’ in the native range of the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta). Sociobiology 52: 129–143. [PDF]
Stringer LD & Lester PJ. 2008. The ant community response to the arrival of Monomorium sydneyense Forel (Hymenoptera : Formicidae) at Sulphur Point, Tauranga, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 35: 53–61. [PDF]
Burns KC & Lester PJ. 2008. Competition and coexistence in model populations. The Encyclopaedia of Ecology. Editors: S.E. Jorgensen & Brian Fath. ISBN: 978-0-444-52033-3. Elsevier Science, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. [PDF]
Lester PJ & Burns KC. 2008. The population dynamics of terrestrial arthropods. Editors: S.E. Jorgensen & Brian Fath. ISBN: 978-0-444-52033-3. Elsevier Science, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. [PDF]
Stringer LD, Haywood J & Lester PJ. 2007. The influence of temperature and fine-scale resource distribution on resource sharing and domination in an ant community. Ecological Entomology 32: 732–740. [PDF]
Corin SE, Lester PJ, Abbott KL & Ritchie PA. 2007. Inferring historical introduction pathways with mitochondrial DNA: the case of introduced Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) into New Zealand. Diversity & Distributions 13: 510–518. [PDF]
Abbott KL, Greaves SNJ, Ritchie PA & Lester PJ. 2007. Behaviourally and genetically distinct populations of an invasive ant provide insight into invasion history and impacts on a tropical ant community. Biological Invasions 9: 453–463. [PDF]
Sarty M, Abbott KL & Lester PJ. 2007. Community level impacts of an ant invader and food mediated coexistence. Insect Sociaux 54: 166–173. [PDF]
Corin SE, Abbott KL & Ritchie PA & Lester PJ. 2007. Large scale unicoloniality: the population and colony structure of the invasive Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) in New Zealand. Insect Sociaux 54: 275–282. [PDF]
Smith KF & Lester PJ. 2007. Trophic interactions promote dominance by cyanobacteria (Anabaena spp.) in the pelagic zone of Lower Karori Reservoir, Wellington, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 41: 143–155. [PDF]
Stringer LD & Lester PJ. 2007. Foraging characteristics and intraspecific behaviour of the exotic species Monomorium sydneyense (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in New Zealand, with implications for its management. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 34: 25–34. [PDF]
Leisnham PT, Slaney DP, Lester PJ, Weinstein P. & Heath ACG. 2007. Mosquito density, macroinvertebrate diversity and water chemistry in water-filled containers: relationships to land use. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 34: 203–218. [PDF]
Hartley S, Harris RJ & Lester PJ. 2006. Quantifying uncertainty in the potential distribution of an invasive species: climate and the Argentine ant. Ecology Letters 9: 1068–1079. [PDF]
Sarty M, Abbott KL & Lester PJ. 2006. Habitat complexity facilitates coexistence in a tropical ant community. Oecologia 149: 465–473. [PDF]
Bell VA, Brightwell RJ, Lester PJ. 2006. Increasing vineyard floral resources may not enhance localised biological control of the leafroller Epiphyas postvittana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) by Dolichogenidea spp. (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) parasitoids. Biocontrol Science and Technology 16: 1031–1042. [PDF]
Abbott KL, Sarty M, Lester PJ. 2006. The ants of Tokelau. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 33: 157–164. [PDF]
Smith KF & Lester PJ. 2006. Cyanobacterial blooms appear to be driven by top-down rather than bottom-up effects in the Lower Karori Reservoir (Wellington, New Zealand). New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 40: 53–63. [PDF]
Leisnham PT, Lester PJ, Slaney DP & Weinstein P. 2006. Relationships between mosquito densities in artificial container habitats, land use and temperature in the Kapiti-Horowhenua region, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 40: 285–297. [PDF]
Lester PJ. 2005. Determinants for the successful establishment of exotic ants in New Zealand. Diversity & Distribution 11: 279–288. [PDF]
Lester PJ, Yee JM, Yee S, Haywood J, Thistlewood HMA & Harmsen R. 2005. Does altering patch number and connectivity change the predatory functional response type? Experiments and simulations in an acarine predator–prey system. Canadian Journal of Zoology 83: 797–806. [PDF]
Lester PJ & Keall JB. 2005. The apparent establishment and subsequent eradication of the Australian giant bulldog ant Myrmecia brevinoda Forel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 32: 353–357. [PDF]
Pike AJ, Cunningham MJ, & Lester PJ. 2005. Development of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Acari: Pyroglyphidae) at constant and simultaneously fluctuating temperature and humidity conditions. Journal of Medical Entomology 42: 266–269. [PDF]
Leisnham PT, Slaney DP, Lester PJ & Weinstein P. 2005. Increased larval mosquito densities from modified landuses in the Kapiti region, New Zealand: vegetation, water quality and predators as associated environmental factors. EcoHealth 2: 313–322. [PDF]
Leisnham PT, Slaney DP, Lester PJ & Weinstein P. 2005. Evaluation of two dipping methods for sampling immature Culex and Ochlerotatus mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) from artificial containers. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 39: 1233–1241. [PDF]
Lester PJ & Tavite A. 2004. Long-legged ants (Anoplolepis gracilipes) have invaded the Tokelau Atolls, changing the composition and dynamics of ant and invertebrate communities. Pacific Science 58: 391–401. [PDF]
Wang X-H & Lester PJ. 2004. A preliminary study of the usefulness of morphometric tools for splitting the Monomorium antarcticum (Smith) complex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), New Zealand's most common native ant. New Zealand Entomologist 27: 103–108. [PDF]
Leisnham PT, Lester PJ, Slaney DP & Weinstein P. 2004. Anthropogenic landscape change and vectors in New Zealand: effects of shade and nutrient levels on mosquito productivity. EcoHealth 1: 306–316. [PDF]
Lester PJ, Baring CW, Longson CG & Hartley S. 2003. Argentine and other ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in New Zealand horticultural ecosystems: distribution, hemipteran hosts, and review. New Zealand Entomologist 26: 79–89. [PDF]
Hartley S & Lester PJ. 2003. Temperature-dependent development of the Argentine ant, Linepithema humile (Mayr) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): a degree-day model with implications for range limits in New Zealand. New Zealand Entomologist 26: 91–100. [PDF]
Lester PJ & Pike AJ. 2003. Container surface area and water depth influence the population dynamics of the mosquito Culex pervigilans (Diptera: Culicidae) and its associated predators in New Zealand. Journal of Vector Ecology 28: 267–274. [PDF]
Derraik JGB, Slaney D, Weinstein P, Lester PJ & Purdie G. 2003. Presence of adult Ochlerotatus (Finlaya) notoscriptus (Skuse) and Culex (Culex) pervigilans Bergroth (Diptera: Culicidae) in tree canopy in Wellington, New Zealand. New Zealand
Entomologist 26: 105–107. [PDF]
Lester PJ & Harmsen R. 2002. Functional and numerical responses do not always indicate the most effective predator for biological control: an analysis of two predators in a two-prey system. Journal of Applied Ecology 39: 455–468. [PDF]
Lester PJ & Holtzer TO. 2002. Patch and prey utilization behavior by Aphelinus albipodus and Diaeretiella rapae (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae and Aphidiidae) on Russian wheat aphid (Homoptera: Aphididae). Biological Control 24: 183–191. [PDF]
Marshall DB, Thistlewood HMA & Lester PJ. 2001. Release, establishment and migration of the predatory mite Typhlodromus pyri (Acari: Phytoseiidae) on apple in Ontario, Canada. Canadian Entomologist 133: 279–292.
Marshall DB & Lester PJ. 2001. The transfer of Typhlodromus pyri on grape leaves for biological control of Panonychus ulmi (Acari : Phytoseiidae, Tetranychidae) in vineyards in Ontario, Canada. Biological Control 20: 228–235. [PDF]
Mohamed AH, Lester PJ & Holtzer TO. 2000. Abundance and effects of predators and parasitoids on the Russian wheat aphid (Homoptera: Aphididae) under organic farming conditions in Colorado. Environmental Entomology 29: 360–368. [PDF]
Lester PJ, Thistlewood HMA & Harmsen R. 2000. Some effects of pre-release host-plant on the biological control of Panonychus ulmi by the predatory mite Amblyseius fallacis. Experimental and Applied Acarology 24: 19–33. [PDF]
Lester, P.J., Rogers, D.J., Petry, R.J., Connolly, P.G., & Robertson, P. (2000) The lethal effects of gamma irradiation on larvae of the Huhu beetle larvae, Prinoplus reticularis: a potential quarantine treatment for New Zealand export pine trees. Entomologia
Experimentalis et Applicata 94: 237–242. [PDF]
Lester PJ, Thistlewood HMA, Marshall DB & Harmsen R. 1999. Assessment of Amblyseius fallacis (Acari: Phytoseiidae) for biological control of tetranychid mites in an Ontario peach orchard. Experimental and Applied Acarology 23: 995–1009. [PDF]
Lester PJ, Pree DJ, Thistlewood HMA, Trevisan LM & Harmsen R. 1999. Pyrethroid encapsulation for conservation of acarine predators and reduced spider mite (Acari: Tetranychidae) outbreaks in apple orchards. Environmental Entomology 28: 72–80.
Lester PJ, Pogoda MK & Pree DJ. 1999. Pesticide encapsulation to maintain predatory mite populations, reduce spider mite outbreaks, and control of the oriental fruit moth Grapholita molesta (Busck). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Ontario 130: 45–56.
Lester PJ, Thistlewood HMA & Harmsen R. 1998. The effects of refuge size and number on acarine predator-prey dynamics in a pesticide disturbed apple orchard. Journal of Applied Ecology 35: 323–331. [PDF]
Lester PJ, Thistlewood HMA & Ball S. 1998. European red mite (Panonychus ulmi Koch): a new problem in Ontario vineyards. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Ontario 128: 105–107.
Dentener PR, Alexander SM, Petry RJ, O’Connor GM, Lester PJ, Bennett KV & Maindonald JH. 1998. Effect of a combined methyl bromide fumigation and cold storage treatment on Cydia pomonella (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) mortality on apples. Journal of Economic Entomology 91: 528–533.
Lester, P.J., & Barrington, A.M. (1997) Gamma irradiation for postharvest disinfestation of Ctenopseustis obliquana (Walker) (Lep. Tortricidae). Journal of Applied Entomology 121: 107–110.
Lester PJ & Greenwood DR. 1997. Pretreatment induced thermotolerance in lightbrown apple moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) and associated induction of heat shock protein synthesis. Journal of Economic Entomology 90: 199–204.
Lester PJ & Petry RJ. 1997. Gamma irradiation for after harvest disinfestation of diapausing twospotted spider mite (Acari: Tetranychidae). Journal of Economic Entomology 88: 1361–1364.
Lester PJ, Dentener PR, Bennett KV & Connolly PG. 1997. Postharvest disinfestation of diapausing and non-diapausing twospotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) on persimmons: hot water immersion and coolstorage. Entomologia Experimentalis et
Applicata 83: 189–193.
McClatchie S, Millar RB, Webster F, Lester PJ, Hurst R & Bagely N. 1997. Demersal fish community diversity off New Zealand: is it related to depth, latitude and regional surface phytoplankton? Deep-Sea Research 44: 647–667.
Lester PJ, Mitchell SF & Scott D. 1996. Substrate and shade: mechanisms of willow tree influence on the macroinvertebrate community of Heeney Creek, South Island, New Zealand. Archives fur Hydrobiologie 136: 145–158.
Dentener PR, Alexander SM, Lester PJ, Petry RJ, Maindonald JH & McDonald RM. 1996. Hot air treatment for disinfestation of lightbrown apple moth and longtailed mealy bug on persimmons. Postharvest Biology and Technology 8: 143–152.
Lester PJ, Mitchell SF & Scott D. 1995. Utilisation of willow leaves, grass and periphyton by stream macroinvertebrates: a study using stable carbon isotopes. Archives fur Hydrobiologie 133: 149–159.
Lester PJ, Dentener PR, Petry RJ & Alexander SM. 1995. Hot-water immersion for disinfestation of lightbrown apple moth (Epiphyas postvittana) and longtailed mealy bug (Psuedococcus longispinus) on persimmons. Postharvest Biology and Technology 6: 349–356.
Lester PJ, Mitchell SF & Scott D. 1994. Willow leaf and periphyton chemical composition, and the feeding preferences of Olinga feredayi (Trichoptera: Conoesucidae). New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 28: 13–18. [PDF]
Lester PJ, Mitchell SF & Scott D. 1994. Effects of riparian willow trees (Salix fragilis) on macroinvertebrate densities in two small Central Otago, New Zealand, streams. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 28: 267–276. [PDF]
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