@article{banks_banks_myers_laubmeier_bommarco_2020, title={Lethal and sublethal effects of toxicants on bumble bee populations: a modelling approach}, volume={29}, ISSN={["1573-3017"]}, DOI={10.1007/s10646-020-02162-y}, abstractNote={Abstract Pollinator decline worldwide is well-documented; globally, chemical pesticides (especially the class of pesticides known as neonicotinoids) have been implicated in hymenopteran decline, but the mechanics and drivers of population trends and dynamics of wild bees is poorly understood. Declines and shifts in community composition of bumble bees (Bombus spp .) have been documented in North America and Europe, with a suite of lethal and sub-lethal effects of pesticides on bumble bee populations documented. We employ a mathematical model parameterized with values taken from the literature that uses differential equations to track bumble bee populations through time in order to attain a better understanding of toxicant effects on a developing colony of bumble bees. We use a delay differential equation (DDE) model, which requires fewer parameter estimations than agent-based models while affording us the ability to explicitly describe the effect of larval incubation and colony history on population outcomes. We explore how both lethal and sublethal effects such as reduced foraging ability may combine to affect population outcomes, and discuss the implications for the protection and conservation of ecosystem services.}, number={3}, journal={ECOTOXICOLOGY}, author={Banks, J. E. and Banks, H. T. and Myers, N. and Laubmeier, A. N. and Bommarco, R.}, year={2020}, month={Apr}, pages={237–245} }
 @article{banks_laubmeier_banks_2020, title={Modelling the effects of field spatial scale and natural enemy colonization behaviour on pest suppression in diversified agroecosystems}, volume={22}, ISSN={["1461-9563"]}, DOI={10.1111/afe.12354}, abstractNote={Diversifying agroecosystems by establishing or retaining natural vegetation in and around crop areas has long been recognized as a potentially effective means of bolstering pest control as a result of attracting more numerous and diverse natural enemies, although outcomes are inconsistent across species. Little is known about the underlying mechanisms driving such differences in species responses, creating challenges for determining how best to manage landscapes for maximizing environmental services such as biological control. The present study addresses gaps in our understanding of the link between noncrop vegetation in field margins and pest suppression by using a system of partial differential equations to model population-level predator–prey interactions, as well as spatial processes, aiming to capture the dynamics of crop plants, herbivores and two generalist predators. We focus on differences in how two predators (a carabid and a ladybird beetle) colonize crop fields where they forage for prey, examining differences in how they move into the fields from adjacent vegetation as a potential driver of differences in overall pest suppression. The results obtained demonstrate that predator colonization behaviour and spatial scale are important factors with respect to determining the effectiveness of biological control.}, number={1}, journal={AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST ENTOMOLOGY}, author={Banks, John E. and Laubmeier, Amanda N. and Banks, H. Thomas}, year={2020}, month={Feb}, pages={30–40} }
 @article{curtsdotter_banks_banks_jonsson_jonsson_laubmeier_traugott_bommarco_2019, title={Ecosystem function in predator-prey food webs-confronting dynamic models with empirical data}, volume={88}, ISSN={["1365-2656"]}, DOI={10.1111/1365-2656.12892}, abstractNote={Most ecosystem functions and related services involve species interactions across trophic levels, for example, pollination and biological pest control. Despite this, our understanding of ecosystem function in multitrophic communities is poor, and research has been limited to either manipulation in small communities or statistical descriptions in larger ones. Recent advances in food web ecology may allow us to overcome the trade-off between mechanistic insight and ecological realism. Molecular tools now simplify the detection of feeding interactions, and trait-based approaches allow the application of dynamic food web models to real ecosystems. We performed the first test of an allometric food web model's ability to replicate temporally nonaggregated abundance data from the field and to provide mechanistic insight into the function of predation. We aimed to reproduce and explore the drivers of the population dynamics of the aphid herbivore Rhopalosiphum padi observed in ten Swedish barley fields. We used a dynamic food web model, taking observed interactions and abundances of predators and alternative prey as input data, allowing us to examine the role of predation in aphid population control. The inverse problem methods were used for simultaneous model fit optimization and model parameterization. The model captured >70% of the variation in aphid abundance in five of ten fields, supporting the model-embodied hypothesis that body size can be an important determinant of predation in the arthropod community. We further demonstrate how in-depth model analysis can disentangle the likely drivers of function, such as the community's abundance and trait composition. Analysing the variability in model performance revealed knowledge gaps, such as the source of episodic aphid mortality, and general method development needs that, if addressed, would further increase model success and enable stronger inference about ecosystem function. The results demonstrate that confronting dynamic food web models with abundance data from the field is a viable approach to evaluate ecological theory and to aid our understanding of function in real ecosystems. However, to realize the full potential of food web models, in ecosystem function research and beyond, trait-based parameterization must be refined and extended to include more traits than body size.}, number={2}, journal={JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY}, author={Curtsdotter, Alva and Banks, H. Thomas and Banks, John E. and Jonsson, Mattias and Jonsson, Tomas and Laubmeier, Amanda N. and Traugott, Michael and Bommarco, Riccardo}, year={2019}, month={Feb}, pages={196–210} }
 @article{laubmeier_wootton_banks_bommarco_curtsdotter_jonsson_roslin_banks_2018, title={From theory to experimental design-Quantifying a trait-based theory of predator-prey dynamics}, volume={13}, number={4}, journal={PLoS One}, author={Laubmeier, A. N. and Wootton, K. and Banks, J. E. and Bommarco, R. and Curtsdotter, A. and Jonsson, T. and Roslin, T. and Banks, H. T.}, year={2018} }
 @article{banks_banks_bommarco_laubmeier_myers_rundlof_tillman_2017, title={Modeling bumble bee population dynamics with delay differential equations}, volume={351}, ISSN={["1872-7026"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2017.02.011}, abstractNote={Bumble bees are ubiquitous creatures and crucial pollinators to a vast assortment of crops worldwide. Bumble bee populations have been decreasing in recent decades, with demise of flower resources and pesticide exposure being two of several suggested pressures causing declines. Many empirical investigations have been performed on bumble bees and their natural history is well documented, but the understanding of their population dynamics over time, causes for observed declines, and potential benefits of management actions is poor. To provide a tool for projecting and testing sensitivity of growth of populations under contrasting and combined pressures, we propose a delay differential equation model that describes multi-colony bumble bee population dynamics. We explain the usefulness of delay equations as a natural modeling formulation, particularly for bumble bee modeling. We then introduce a particular numerical method that approximates the solution of the delay model. Next, we provide simulations of seasonal population dynamics in the absence of pressures. We conclude by describing ways in which resource limitation, pesticide exposure and other pressures can be reflected in the model.}, journal={ECOLOGICAL MODELLING}, author={Banks, H. T. and Banks, J. E. and Bommarco, Riccardo and Laubmeier, A. N. and Myers, N. J. and Rundlof, Maj and Tillman, Kristen}, year={2017}, month={May}, pages={14–23} }
 @article{king_laubmeier_orans_godbole_2016, title={Universal and Overlap Cycles for Posets, Words, and Juggling Patterns}, volume={32}, ISSN={["1435-5914"]}, DOI={10.1007/s00373-015-1632-4}, abstractNote={We discuss results dealing with universal cycles (ucycles) and s-overlap cycles, and contribute to the body of those results by proving existence of universal cycles of naturally labeled posets (NL posets), s-overlap cycles of words of weight k, and juggling patterns. The result on posets is, to the best of our knowledge, the first demonstration of the existence of a ucycle whose length is unknown.}, number={3}, journal={GRAPHS AND COMBINATORICS}, author={King, Adam and Laubmeier, Amanda and Orans, Kai and Godbole, Anant}, year={2016}, month={May}, pages={1013–1025} }