Spencer Behmer

Areas of Expertise

• Physiological Ecology with an emphasis on nutrition

Professional Summary

Spencer Behmer is a professor in the Department of Entomology at Texas A&M University. Behmer is also a member of the Ecology & Evolutionary Biology PhD program, including being the Founding Chair. His research focuses on the nutritional physiology and ecology of insects, including ants, aphids, grasshoppers, caterpillars, and honey bees. He has 85 peer-reviewed publications and over the last 20 years secured $15M in federal funding to support his research program. Spence has been cited in peer-reviewed outlets over 5,400 occasions. He is currently the co-Editor for the Journal of Insect Physiology and serves on 4 editorial boards (Current Opinion in Insect Science, Current Research in Insect Science, Insect Science, and Insects). He was the Chair (2019) and Vice-Chair (2017) for the Gordon Research Conference on Plant-Herbivore Interactions and Panel Manager (2018) for the USDA-AFRI Pest and Beneficial Species in Agricultural Systems Program.

Selected Publications

1. Jing, X. and Behmer, S.T. 2020. Insect sterol nutrition: Physiological mechanisms, ecology and applications. Annual Review of Entomology 65:251-271
2. Roeder, K.A. and Behmer, S.T. 2014. Lifetime consequences associated with food macronutrient content in a generalist herbivore. Functional Ecology 28:1135-1143
3. Joern, A., Provin, T. and Behmer, S.T. 2012. Not just the usual suspects: Insect herbivore populations and communities are associated with multiple plant nutrients. Ecology 93:1002-1015
4. Behmer, S.T. and Joern, A. 2008. Coexisting generalist herbivores occupy unique nutritional niches. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA) 105:1977-1982
5. Pompilio, L, Kacelnik, A. and Behmer, S.T. 2006. State-dependent learned valuation drives choice in an invertebrate. Science 313:1613-1615