Matt Petersen

Matt Petersen
Teaching Associate Professor
pet03207@umn.edu
+1 651 624 1281
422 Hodson Hall

1980 Folwell Ave
St Paul, MN 55108
United States

Education

Ph.D. - Entomology; Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Iowa State University (2008)
M.S. - Entomology & Plant Pathology, University of Tennessee (2003)
B.S - Animal Ecology, Iowa State University (1998)

Areas of Interest

Pedagogy and curriculum development, insect systematics and biogeography, sustainable insect systems

Teaching

I teach a variety of Entomology courses covering topics of insect identity, ecology, and impact in native and managed systems. In teaching Entomology try to provide an environment where students can learn foundational concepts that will expedite their future endeavors, while helping them to develop problem solving skills and an understanding of how science is conducted. Through these objectives my ultimate goal is to instill the idea that in addition to learning these foundational concepts, we are assimilating information about interconnected components of larger processes.

Research

As a researcher I am a broadly trained systematist that is interested in the ecological and evolutionary factors impacting species distribution.  My studies are based on examining questions of insect systematics (insect phylogeny, historic biogeography, and tests of ecological niche conservation in non-native species) and landscape and local factors influencing the incidence and abundance of pest species in managed systems. 

Select Publications

O’Rourke, M.E., and Petersen, M.J. (2017) Extending the ‘resource concentration hypothesis’ to the landscape-scale by considering dispersal mortality and fitness costs. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 249: 1-3.

Petersen, M.J. (2015) The evolutionary history of Lipsothrix Loew (Diptera: Tipuloidea) inferred through systematic revision and historical biogeographical analysis. Invertebrate Systematics 29: 239-286.

Petersen, M.J., Seto, M. and D.C. Peck. (2013) Linking the spatio-temporal distribution of an edaphic crane fly to its heterogeneous soil environment. Ecological Entomology 38: 585-595.

Petersen, M.J. and D.C. Peck. (2013) Host plant resistance of cool-season (C3) turfgrasses to above- and belowground feeding by Tipula paludosa (Diptera: Tipuloidea). Journal of Economic Entomology 106: 1463-1472.

Petersen, M.J. (2013) Evidence of a climatic niche shift following North American introductions of two crane flies (Diptera; genus Tipula). Biological Invasions.15: 885-897.

Zhu, G., Petersen, M.J., Liu G. and Peck, D.C. (2012) Imidacloprid functions as a contact-arrestant to disrupt the movement of scarab larvae. Pest Management Science 69: 483-492.

Petersen, J.D, Petersen, M.J., and G.W. Courtney (2012) Description of a new subgenus Neophylidorea (Diptera: Tipulidae) and a new species. Zootaxa 3555: 40-54

Zhu, G., Petersen, M.J., Liu, G., and Y. Gao (2012) Selecting biologically meaningful environmental dimensions of low discrepancy among ranges to predict potential distribution of bean plataspid invasion. PLOS ONE. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0046247

Petersen, M.J., Olmstead, D.L. and D.C. Peck (2012) Impact and management of invasive crane flies (Tipula oleracea Linnaeus and Tipula paludosa Meigen) in northeastern U.S. sod production. Journal of Integrated Pest Management 2: C1-C6.

Pfrender, M.E., Hawkins, C.P., Bagley, M., Courtney, G., Creutzburg, B.R., Epler, J.H., Fend, S., Ferrington, L.C., Hartzell, P.L., Jackson, S., Larsen, D.P., Levesque, C.A., Morse, J.C., Petersen, M., Ruiter, Schindel, D., and M. Whiting (2010) Genetic approaches to biodiversity assessment in freshwater ecosystems. The Quarterly Review of Biology 85: 319-340

Peck, D.C, Olmstead, D.L. and M.J. Petersen (2010) Pest status of invasive crane flies in New York turfgrass and the repercussions for regional plant protection. Journal of Integrated Pest Management 1: E1-E3.

Petersen, M.J., Bertone, M., Wiegmann, B.M. and G.W. Courtney (2010) Phylogenetic synthesis of morphological and molecular data reveals new insights into the higher-level classification of the Tipuloidea (Diptera). Systematic Entomology 35: 526-545.

Petersen, M.J. and G.W. Courtney (2010) Landscape heterogeneity and the confluence of regional faunas promote richness and structure community assemblage in a tropical biodiversity hotspot. Journal of Insect Conservation 14: 181-189. DOI 10.1007/s10841-009-9239-9.