Ed Vargo

Areas of Expertise

• Urban entomology
• Molecular ecology
• Social insect biology
• Invasion biology
• Population genetics

Professional Summary

Edward Vargo, Ph.D. holds the Endowed Chair in Urban and Structural Entomology at Texas A&M University. Before joining Texas A&M, Ed was professor at North Carolina State University. His research and teaching interests lie in urban entomology, the biology of social insects, and invasion biology. His recent work utilizes molecular genetic approaches to shed light on the breeding structure of ant and termite colonies, trace the invasion history of invasive pests, develop new tools for pest management, such as RNAi, and track colonies of ants and termites after insecticide treatment. Ed has published more than 165 scientific articles on urban pests and has given more than 200 talks at professional meetings and scientific conferences. He has won numerous awards, including the Entomological Foundation Recognition Award in Urban Entomology from the Entomological Society of America.

Selected Publications

1. Blumenfeld, A. J., P.-A. Eyer, A. M. Helms, G. Buczkowski, E. L. Vargo. 2021. Consistent signatures of urban adaptation in a native, urban invader ant Tapinoma sessile. Molecular Ecology Early View. DOI: 10.1111/mec.16188
2. Eyer, P. A., A. J. Blumenfeld, L. N. L. Johnson, E. Perdereau, P. Shults, S. Wang, F. Dedeine, S. Dupont, A. G. Bagnères, E. L. Vargo. 2021. Extensive human-mediated jump dispersal within and across the native and introduced ranges of the invasive termite Reticulitermes flavipes. Molecular Ecology 30: 3948-3964. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.16022
3. Eyer, P.-A., A. J. Blumenfeld, E. L. Vargo. 2019. Sexually antagonistic selection: Genetic divergence between males and females maintains diversity in an invasive ant. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, U.S.A 116: 24157- 24163. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1906568116
4. Vargo, E. L., C. Husseneder. 2009. The biology of subterranean termites: Insights from molecular studies on Reticulitermes and Coptotermes. Annual Review of Entomology 54: 379-403. DOI: 10.1146/annurev.ento.54.110807.090443
5. Matsuura, K., E. L. Vargo, K. Kawatsu, P. E. Labadie, H. Nakano, T. Yashiro, K. Tsuji. 2009. Queen succession through asexual reproduction in termites. Science 323:1687. DOI: 10.1126/science.1169702