Paul Manning

Research Interest

To better understand the importance of biodiversity (specifically insects) to the health and functioning of agricultural ecosystems. His research interests are focused on: entomology, community science, community ecology, and natural history  

Education

Certificate in Teaching & Learning – Dalhousie University
DPhil Zoology – University of Oxford
BSc Agriculture – NSAC/Dalhousie University

Research Topics:
Agroecology, Biodiversity, Entomology, Community Science

Teaching

BIOA3000 - General Entomology (Fall)
RESM3000 - Research Methods in Agriculture (Winter)
BIOA4005 – Conservation Biology (Fall)
AGRI3302 – Measuring Food Sustainability (Summer)

Adjunct Status
College of Sustainability – Dalhousie University (Cross-Appointment)
Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems – Bishop’s University (Adjunct Professor)

Major Sources of Research Funding
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council
Nova Scotia Living Labs

Graduate Student Supervision
Katelyn Stokes– MSc
Understanding the impact of environmental quality on dung use ability by the introduced dung beetle Onthophagus nuchicornis

Undergraduate Research Projects

Alexe Hanlon. The influence of a gall-forming insect on botanical dye strength. (2023)
Adrian Bent. Quantifying the impact of white-tailed deer on food gardening in Truro, Nova Scotia. (2023)
Melanie Skidmore. Examining burial depth variability in Onthophagus nuchicornis. (2023)
Nivetha Balasubramani. A comparison of the nutritional profiles of abundant insects found in Eastern North America. Co-Supervisor: Mason MacDonald (2021)

Selected Publications

Cattiaux, A.S.M.A., Caseley, H.J., Rutherford, K.L. & Manning, P. (2021) Using community science to explore the spatial distribution of the daylily gall midge (Cecidomyiidae) in Canada’s Maritimes region. The Canadian Entomologist, 153, 556–565.

Gass, S., Mui, A., Manning, P., Cray, H. & Gibson, L. (2021) Exploring the value of a BioBlitz as a biodiversity education tool in a post-secondary environment. Environmental Education Research, 27, 1538–1556.

Manning, P. (2021) Fenced community gardens effectively mitigate the negative impacts of white-tailed deer on household food security. Canadian Food Studies, 8, 11–20.

Manning, P. & Cutler, G.C. (2020) Exposure to low concentrations of pesticide stimulates ecological functioning in the dung beetle Onthophagus nuchicornis. PeerJ, 8, e10359.

Shaw, J., Cutler, G.C., Manning, P., McCallum, R.S. & Astatkie, T. (2022) Does sending honey bee, Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae), colonies to lowbush blueberry, Vaccinium angustifolium (Ericaceae), for pollination increase Nosema spp. (Nosematidae) spore loads? The Canadian Entomologist, 154, e42.

A full publication record is available on Google Scholar.

Memberships and Affiliations

Associate Editor - Ecological Entomology
Associate Editor - Journal of the Acadian Entomological Society
Member - The Nova Scotia Institute of Agrologists
Member - The Entomological Society of Canada
Member -  Acadian Entomological Society
Member - Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution

Research Lab
Cox 220