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Scott Powell Faculty Member
Positions
- Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, Biological Sciences , Columbian College of Arts and Sciences 2018 -
Working at the intersection of evolutionary biology and community ecology, work in my lab strives to use exceptional study systems to advance understanding of how ecological interactions shape the diversity of life.
Research Areas
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Affiliation
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Publications
selected publications
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abstract
- Community interactions and the evolution of ant functional traits: Insights from the turtle ants. Proceedings of the XXIII Simpósio de Mirmecologia: An International Ant Meeting. 2017
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academic article
- Active modification of cavity nest‐entrances is a common strategy in arboreal ants. Biotropica. 2021
- Spatiotemporal dynamics of the ant community in a dry forest differ by vertical strata but not by successional stage.. Biotropica. 2021
- A taxonomic study of the Brazilian turtle ants (Formicidae: Myrmicinae: Cephalotes).. Revista Brasileira de Entomologia. 2021
- Ecosystem engineering in the arboreal realm: heterogeneity of wood-boring beetle cavities and their use by cavity-nesting ants.. Oecologia. 2021
- From foraging trails to transport networks: how the quality-distance trade-off shapes network structure.. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 2021
- Nest choice in arboreal ants is an emergent consequence of network creation under spatial constraints.. Swarm Intelligence. 2021
- Reexamining how ecology shapes the ontogeny of colony size and caste composition in social insects: insights from turtle ants in the arboreal realm.. Insectes Sociaux. 2021
- The effects of high-severity fires on the arboreal ant community of a Neotropical savanna.. Oecologia.. 2021
- Diurnal and nocturnal foraging specialisation in Neotropical army ants. Ecological Entomology. 2020
- High temporal beta diversity in an ant metacommunity, with increasing temporal functional replacement along the elevational gradient. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. 2020
- Revisiting ecological dominance in arboreal ants: how dominant usage of nesting resources shapes community assembly.. Oecologia. 2020
- Detection of prey odours underpins dietary specialization in a Neotropical top‐predator: How army ants find their ant prey. Journal of Animal Ecology. 2020
- Trait evolution is reversible, repeatable, and decoupled in the soldier caste of turtle ants 2020
- Turtle ants (Cephalotes).. In C. Star, ed. IUSSI Social Insect Encyclopedia (Peer reviewed edited volume). 2020
- Combat, co-existence, and resource partitioning in acorn-dwelling Temnothorax ants. Insectes Sociaux. 2018
- Discovery and defense define the social foraging strategy of Neotropical arboreal ants.. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology.. 2018
- Correlates and consequences of worker polymorphism in ants. Annual Review of Entomology. 2018
- How ants play the game of Risk: Distributed defense strategies of turtle ant colonies are optimal in every way but one. American Naturalist. 2018
- Context-dependent defences in turtle ants: Resource defensibility and threat level induce dynamic shifts in soldier deployment.. Functional Ecology. 2017
- Co-occurrence patterns in a diverse arboreal ant community are explained more by competition than habitat requirements. Ecology and Evolution. 2016
- Disruptive selection as a driver of evolutionary branching and caste evolution in social insects.. Journal of Evolutionary Biology. 2016
- A comparative perspective on the ecology of morphological diversification in complex societies: nesting ecology and soldier evolution in the turtle ants. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 2016
- Tightly congruent bursts of lineage and phenotypic diversification identified in a continental ant radiation.. Evolution. 2016
- Army ants dynamically adjust living bridges in response to a cost–benefit trade-off. 2015
- Extrafloral nectaries have a limited effect on the structure of arboreal ant communities in a Neotropical savanna. Ecology. 2015
- Mimicry and eavesdropping enable a new form of social parasitism in ants. The American Naturalist. 2014
- Description of Cephalotes specularis n. sp. (Formicidae: Myrmicinae) – the mirror turtle ant. Zootaxa. 2014
- Renewed diversification is associated with new ecological opportunity in the Neotropical turtle ants. Journal of Evolutionary Biology. 2014
- Stability and phylogenetic correlation in gut microbiota: lessons from ants and apes. Molecular Ecology. 2014
- Soldier-based defences dynamically track resource availability and quality in ants. Animal Behaviour. 2013
- Group size and its effects on collective organization. Annual Review of Entomology. 2012
- Canopy connectivity and the availability of diverse nesting resources affect species coexistence in arboreal ants. Journal of Animal Ecology. 2011
- How much do army ants eat? On the prey intake of a Neotropical top-predator. InsectesSociaux. 2011
- Predation and patchiness in the tropical litter: do swarm raiding army ants skim the cream or drain the bottle?. Journal of Animal Ecology. 2011
- Elevational and geographic variation in army ant swarm raid rates. InsectesSociaux. 2010
- How ecology shapes caste evolution: Linking resource use, morphology, performance, and fitness in a superorganism. Journal of Evolutionary Biology. 2009
- Species and site differences in Neotropical army ant emigration behavior. Ecological Entomology. 2009
- Ecological specialization and the evolution of a specialized caste in Cephalotesants. Functional Ecology. 2008
- Shaking a leg and hot to trot: the effects of body size and temperature on running speed in ants. Ecological Entomology. 2008
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chapter
- Turtle ants (Cephalotes).. IUSSI Social Insect Encyclopedia (peer reviewed contributions).. 2019
- Foraging and defence strategies. Ant Ecology. 2010
- Osgrandespredadores dos neotrópicos: comportamento, dieta e impacto das formigas de correição Ecitoninae. InsetosSociais da Biologia à Aplicação. 2008
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conference paper
- Drivers of diversification in a widespread species complex within the continental adaptive radiation of the turtle ants (Cephalotes) 2019
- Sensory specialization, prey selection, and coexistence in army ants. 2019
- The relationship between evolution of setae and thermal tolerance in the turtle ants (Cephalotes) 2019
- Trade-offs in locomotion performance across ecological contexts: Turtle ant running speed in the canopy. 2019
- Cryptic diversification in a species rich Neotropical ant lineage. 2018
- The Evolution of Body Hairs and Thermal Tolerance in Turtle Ants. 2018
- Cryptic diversification in Cephalotes (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), a species rich Neotropical ant lineage. 2018
- Trade-offs in running performance across ecological contexts: turtle ant running speed in the canopy. 2018
- Cephalotes maculatus – cryptic species complex? 2018
- Cryptic diversification in a species-rich Neotropical ant lineage 2017
- The evolution of body hairs and thermal tolerance in turtle ants 2017
- The evolution of a specialized soldier caste in a socially complex lineage 2017
- How top predators find their prey: odor cues and prey specialization in Neotropical army ants 2016
- Serendipity and social parasitism in the turtle ants 2016
- The complexities of coexistence in canopy ants 2016
- The evolution of a morphologically and ecologically specialized soldier caste in a social insect lineage 2016
- Adaptive diversification of complex social phenotypes: insights from the turtle ants 2016
- The evolution of a morphologically and ecologically specialized soldier caste in a socially complex lineage 2016
- The evolution specialized castes: testing a classic hypothesis using the turtle ants (Cephalotes) 2015
- The evolution of a new form of social parasitism in the recently discovered mirror turtle ant 2015
- Explaining the novel axes of adaptive phenotypic diversification in complex societies using the turtle ants 2014
- The role of beetle-produced cavities as a filter on the assembly of arboreal ant communities 2013
- Studying canopy ants with my feet on the ground 2013
- Trait diversification in insect societies: Phylogenetic analyses of caste evolution using turtle ants 2013
- The ecological causes of trait diversification: what ants can tell us 2013
- Beetle-produced cavities shape the arboreal ant communities of Neotropical savanna 2012
- Canopy connectivity and the availability of diverse nesting cavities affect species coexistence in arbo- real ants 2010
- On the diversification of caste: Insights from a new phylogeny of the ant genus Cephalotes 2010
- ?e evolution of specialization in the soldier caste of Cephalotesants 2006
- ?e hidden big predators of the Neotropics: Diversity, diet, behavior, and impact of army ants 2005
- Living pothole plugs and traffic-flow in army ants: ?uantifying the net benefit of a unique division of la- bour 2005
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conference poster
- A taxonomic study of the Brazilian turtle-ants (formicidae: Myrmicinae: Cephalotes). 2019
- High intensity fires have strong effects on the structure of arboreal ant communities in a neotropical savanna. 2019
- Discovery and defense define the social foraging strategy of Neotropical arboreal ants. 2018
- Ecosystem engineering in the Neotropical canopy: How beetle-produced cavities influence community assembly in cavity-nesting ants 2012
- Choosing where and what to defend: Soldier deployment in a resource-limited world 2010
- Nesting ecology and the evolution of specialization in the soldier caste of Cephalotesants 2006
presentations
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presentation
- Adaptive radiation and the complex colony-phenotype: Tales from the turtle ants, University of Oklahoma 2020
- Research presentation., National Science Foundation. 2016
- The ecology of diversification in the turtle ants, The Entomological Society of Washington 2015
- Explaining the novel axes of adaptive phenotypic diversification in complex societies using the turtle ants, Evolution 2014 2014
- Linking studies of trait diversification and community structure using the Neotropical turtle ants, University of Maryland, Department of Entomology 2012
- ?e ecology of caste evolution in social insects: Insights from the ant genus Cephalotes, ?e Field Museum, Chicago, Illinois, USA 2009
- ?e evolution of specialization in insect societies: Insights from the ant genus Cephalotes, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, USA 2009
- Specialization in the adaptive radiation of social insect lineages, University of Arizona, Tucson, U.S.A 2009
- ?e evolution of specialization and its ecological consequences: Insights from arboreal ants, Univer- sity of Missouri at St. Louis, St. Louis, U.S.A 2008
- ?e ecology of caste evolution: Insights from comparative studies of the army ants and turtle ants, Univer- sity of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA 2007
- ?e hidden big predators of the Neotropics: ?e behavior, ecology, and evolution of New World army ants, University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil 2007
- Natural history and explaining highly altruistic worker phenotypes: Nesting ecology and soldier evo- lution in Cephalotesants, ?e Buffon Legacy: Natural History in the 21st Century, Dijon, France 2007
- Caste evolution and ecology in ants, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil 2005
- Ecological causes of caste evolution in ants, University of Missouri at St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, U.S.A 2005
- Building a better road: Ant-plugs and resource transport in an army ants, School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, U.K 2004
- Caste evolution and ecology: a special army ant worker for novel prey, Oklahoma University, Norman, OK, U.S.A 2004
- Building a better road: Adaptive construction by army ant foragers, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Barro Colorado Island, Panama 2003
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Research
principal investigator on
- Dimensions: Identifying how the ecological and evolutionary interactions between host and symbiont shape holobiont biodiversity awarded by NSF
- Preliminary Proposal: Adaptive radiation of the complex social-phenotype: Insights from an iconic ant lineage awarded by NSF
- Preliminary Proposal: The ecology of continental adaptive radiation: A critical evaluation using integrative approaches and a novel taxon
- Using amber fossils to help explain the past and present of a Neotropical adaptive radiation
co-principal investigator on
- Adaptive distribution of morphological specialists in social insects: New insights into the evolution of division of labor
- Ecological and evolutionary impacts of ecosystem engineering: Wood-boring beetles, arboreal ants, and trophic interactions in Brazilian cerrado
- Funding provided for continued study of the canopy ants of the cerrado biome
- IOS Preliminary Proposal: Collaborative Research: RUI: Dynamic ant networks: How environmental constraints and ecological context shape resource transport systems awarded by NSF
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Service
reviewer of
- Animal Behaviour (Journal)
- Behavioral Ecology (Journal)
- Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology (Journal)
- Biological Journal of the Linnean Society (Journal)
- Biology Letters (Journal)
- Current Microbiology (Journal)
- Ecography (Journal)
- Ecological Entomology (Journal)
- Ecology (Journal)
- Environmental Entomology (Journal)
- Ethology (Journal)
- Evolution (Journal)
- External evaluation of tenure review package (Journal)
- Functional Ecology (Journal)
- Harvard University Press (Journal)
- Insect Systematics and Diversity (Journal)
- Insectes Sociaux (Journal)
- Journal of Applied Entomology (Journal)
- Journal of Evolutionary Biology (Journal)
- Journal of Evolutionary Biology Molecular Ecology (Journal)
- Journal of Insect Science (Journal)
- Molecular Ecology (Journal)
- Myrmecological News (Journal)
- National Science Foundation external reviewer. (Journal)
- National Science Foundation, USA Naturwissenscha?en (Journal)
- Neotropical Entomology Oecologia (Journal)
- Oecologia (Journal)
- PLoS ONE (Journal)
- Proceedings of the Royal Society: Biological Sciences (Journal)
- Restoration Ecology (Journal)
- Science (Journal)
- Science of nature (Naturwissenschaften) (Journal)
- Smithsonian Institution (Journal)
- Smithsonian Institution (Journal)
- The American Naturalist (Journal)
professional service activities
- Entomological Society of Washington Member 2013 -
- Hamilton Award Committee for the Society for the Study of Evolution. Member 2013 -
- American Society of Naturalists Member 2012 -
- Ecological Society of America Member 2012 -
- International Union for the Study of Social Insects Member 2012 -
- International Union for the Study of Social Insects Member 2018
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Background
education and training
- Ph.D degree in Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, U.K 2001 - 2005
- M.S degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, U.S.A 1998 - 2000
- B. S. degree in Biological Sciences, Florida State University, U.S.A 1994 - 1997
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Contact
full name
- Scott Powell
mailing address
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CCAS - Biological Science
800 22nd St NW, Suite 6000
Science and Engineering Hall
Washington, DC 20052
USA
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