Michael Crossley

Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology

Michael Crossley

Assistant Professor / Agricultural Entomologist
 

250 Townsend Hall
531 S. College Ave,
Newark, DE 19716

Lab website

Education

  • Ph.D. in Entomology (minor in Geographic Information Systems), University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2019
  • M. S. in Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2014
  • B. S. in Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2011

Courses taught

  • ENWC 311 Insects in Agricultural and Urban Environments
  • ENWC 411/611 Insect Pest Management
  • ENWC 435/635 Population Ecology

Research

Dr. Crossley is an agricultural entomologist and molecular ecologist who integrates eco-informatics and population genomics approaches to understand how changing agricultural landscapes and management practices affect insect ecology and evolution. His research specifically explores the role of rapid evolution in driving pest success and seeks to develop and refine innovative pest management strategies that benefit growers, the environment and society.

  • Ecology and evolution of darkling beetle (Alphitobius diaperinus) in poultry
  • Biological control of slugs in corn and soybean
  • Long-term insect abundance and diversity change in agricultural landscapes
  • Harnessing insects as waste upcyclers and feed
  • Biological control of mushroom phorid flies

Professional Affiliations

  • Entomological Society of America
  • North American Coalition for Insect Agriculture

2022

Ben Sammarco, MS in Entomology

Thabu Mugala, PhD in Entomology and Wildlife Ecology

Find a complete list of publications on Google Scholar

Yang, F, MS Crossley, L Schrader, I Dubovskiy, R Zhang. (in press). Polygenic adaptation contributes to the invasive success of the Colorado potato beetle. Molecular Ecology

Crossley MS, CE Latimer, CM Kennedy, WE Snyder. (in press). Past and recent farming degrades aquatic insect genetic diversity. Molecular Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.16590 

Crossley MS, TD Meehan, MD Moran, J Glassberg, WE Snyder, AK Davis. (2022). Opposing global change drivers counterbalance trends in breeding North American monarch butterflies. Global Change Biology. 28:4726-4735. http://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16282 

Pélissié B, YH Chen, MS Crossley, ZP Cohen, DJ Hawthorne, V Izzo, SD Schoville. 2022. Genome resequencing reveals rapid, repeated evolution in the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata. Molecular Biology and Evolution 39(2):msac016. https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msac016 

Crossley MS, TS Davis, GL Hartman, D Lagos-Kutz, DJ Voegtlin, WE Snyder. 2022. Precipitation change accentuates or reverses temperature effects on aphid dispersal. Ecological Applications. 32(5):e2593 https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2593 

Crossley MS, B Pélissié, Z Cohen, SI Rondon, D Hawthorne, YH Chen, A Alyokhin, SD Schoville 2022. Limiting a superpest: Ecological and evolutionary factors mitigating Colorado potato beetle adaptation to insecticides. Chapter in: Insect Pests of Potato 2nd Edition.

Cornella KA, OM Smith, R Crespo, MS Jones, MS Crossley, WE Snyder, and JP Owen. 2022. Prevalence patterns for enteric parasites of chickens managed in open environments of the Western United States. Avian Diseases 66:60-68. https://doi.org/10.1637/21-00079 

Lynch CA, OM Smith, EG Chapman, MS Crossley, DW Crowder, Z Fu, JD Harwood, AS Jensen, KL Krey, GB Snyder, WE Snyder. 2022. Alternative prey and farming system mediate predation of Colorado potato beetles by generalists. Pest Management Science 78(9): 3769-3777. https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.6553 

Aigner, BL, MS Crossley, MR Abney. 2021. Biology and management of peanut burrower bug (Hemiptera: Cydnidae) in Southeast USA peanut. Journal of Integrated Pest Management 12:29. https://doi.org/10.1093/jipm/pmab024 

Crossley MS, OM Smith, TS Davis, SD Eigenbrode, GL Hartman, D Lagos-Kutz, SE Halbert, DJ Voegtlin, MD Moran, WE Snyder. 2021. Complex life histories predispose aphids to recent decline. Global Change Biology 27:4283-4293. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/gcb.15739 

Hemberger J, MS Crossley, C Gratton. 2021. 130 years of agricultural intensification has decreased the occurrence of North American bumble bees. Ecology Letters 24:1800-1813. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ele.13786 

Fu Z, MS Crossley, B Epstein, C Bates, DW Crowder, AA Elling, PA Hohenlohe, R Jabbour, RA Ramirez, WE Snyder. 2021. Using fine-scale relatedness to infer natural enemy movement. Biological Control 160:104662. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1049964421001328 

Krey KL, OM Smith, EG Chapman, MS Crossley, DW Crowder, Z Fu, JD Harwood, AS Jensen, CA Lynch, GB Snyder, WE Snyder. 2021. Prey and predator biodiversity mediate aphid predation by generalists. Biological Control 160:104650. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1049964421001201 

Crossley MS, OM Smith, LL Berry, R Phillips-Cosio, J Glassberg, KM Holman, JG Holmquest, AR Meier, SA Varriano, MR McClung, MD Moran, WE Snyder. 2021. Recent climate change is creating hotspots of butterfly increase and decline across North America. Global Change Biology 27:2702-2714. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/gcb.15582 

Crossley MS, WE Snyder, MD Moran. 2021. MS Crossley et al. reply. Nature Ecology & Evolution 5:595-599. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-021-01429-9 

Schoville, S.D., Z.P. Cohen, and M.S. Crossley. 2021. Population genomic insights into insecticide resistance in the Colorado potato beetle. in J.R. Dupuis and O. Rajora (eds.), Population Genomics: Insects. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/13836_2021_91 "