Faculty

Monica Kersch-Becker

Assistant Professor of Entomology

501 ASI
University Park, PA

Email mfk5843@psu.edu
Phone 814-863-7788

Areas of Expertise

Herbivore Keyphrases
Plant Defense Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Spider Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Plant Defense Keyphrases
Arthropods Keyphrases
Aphid Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Predation Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Arthropod Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Salinity impacts biocontrol
Sahil V. Pawar, Bijay Subedi, Rorri Mueller, Mahendra Pawar, Sujay M. Paranjape, Michelle Peiffer, Monica Kersch-Becker, Jared Ali, Gary W. Felton, Sep 2026, In: Journal of Pest Science
Date: Sep 2026

Plant defense mixtures result in distinct volatile blends with trade-offs for aphid resistance and biological control
Rowda Altamimi, Bijay Subedi, Danilo F.B. dos Santos, Jared G. Ali, Mônica F. Kersch-Becker, Jun 2026, In: Environmental entomology
Date: Jun 2026

Compensatory feeding by lady beetles
Sahil Pawar, Rorri Mueller, Bijay Subedi, Mahendra Pawar, Monica Kersch-Becker, Sara Hermann, Michelle Peiffer, Jared Ali, Gary W. Felton, 2026, In: BioControl
Date: 2026

Field Attraction of Natural Enemies to Methyl Salicylate Differs Between Annual and Perennial Cropping Systems
Yahel Ben-Zvi, Patricia Prade, Jack Collins, Carlos Andres Antolínez, Rekha Bhandari, Kaitlin Butler, Anna DiPaola, Danilo F.B. dos Santos, Sara Hermann, Juan Pablo Jordán, Mônica F. Kersch-Becker, André Kessler, Gregory Loeb, Nathan T. Mak, Katja Poveda, Monique J. Rivera, Bijay Subedi, Jennife..., 2026, In: Journal of Applied Entomology
Date: 2026

Complex multitrophic species interactions and fitness costs
Mônica F. Kersch-Becker, Guilherme P. Pinheiro, Thaís S. Schweller, Martin Pareja, Victoria M. Pocius, José R. Trigo, Gustavo Q. Romero, 2026, In: Journal of Animal Ecology
Date: 2026

Sublethal Effects of Neonicotinoids
Sarah K. Spence, Shorooq A.M. Alharbi, Afure Ejomah, Feizollah A. Maleki, Michael S. Wolfin, Mônica F. Kersch-Becker, Jan 2026, In: Insects
Date: Jan 2026

Salicylate plant defences reduce aphid nutritional quality and increase predator consumption
Bijay Subedi, Victoria Marie Pocius, Mary Arlin Bunnell, Abigail Myers, Mônica F. Kersch-Becker, 2025, In: Ecological Entomology
Date: 2025

Warming and shifts in litter quality drive multiple responses in freshwater detritivore communities
Sandra Benavides-Gordillo, Angélica L. González, Mônica F. Kersch-Becker, Marcelo S. Moretti, Dieison A. Moi, Marcos P.M. Aidar, Gustavo Q. Romero, Dec 2024, In: Scientific reports
Date: Dec 2024

Stomata
Feizollah A. Maleki, Irmgard Seidl-Adams, Gary W. Felton, Mônica F. Kersch-Becker, James H. Tumlinson, Nov 15 2024, In: Journal of experimental botany
Date: Nov 15 2024

Impacts of ramet density and herbivory on floral volatile emissions and seed production in Solidago altissima
Jacob E. Herschberger, Lukasz Ciesla, Christopher R. Stieha, Mônica F. Kersch-Becker, Oct 2024, In: American journal of botany
Date: Oct 2024

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Abiotic factors and the conditional outcome of an ant-plant mutualism
Mônica Frank Kersch, Carlos Roberto Fonseca, Aug 2005, In: Ecology
Citations: 105

Landscape simplification and altitude affect biodiversity, herbivory and Andean potato yield
Katja Poveda, Eliana Martínez, Monica F. Kersch-Becker, Maria A. Bonilla, Teja Tscharntke, Apr 2012, In: Journal of Applied Ecology
Citations: 64

Plant size, latitude, and phylogeny explain within-population variability in herbivory
M. L. Robinson, P. G. Hahn, B. D. Inouye, N. Underwood, S. R. Whitehead, K. C. Abbott, E. M. Bruna, N. I. Cacho, L. A. Dyer, L. Abdala-Roberts, W. J. Allen, J. F. Andrade, D. F. Angulo, D. Anjos, D. N. Anstett, R. Bagchi, S. Bagchi, M. Barbosa, S. Barrett, C. A. Baskett, E. Ben-Simchon, K. J. Bloodw..., Nov 1 2023, In: Science
Citations: 56

Plant resistance reduces the strength of consumptive and non-consumptive effects of predators on aphids
Mônica F. Kersch-Becker, Jennifer S. Thaler, Sep 1 2015, In: Journal of Animal Ecology
Citations: 49

Virus strains differentially induce plant susceptibility to aphid vectors and chewing herbivores
Mônica F. Kersch-Becker, Jennifer S. Thaler, Mar 2014, In: Oecologia
Citations: 33

Plant defences limit herbivore population growth by changing predator-prey interactions
Mônica F. Kersch-Becker, André Kessler, Jennifer S. Thaler, Sep 13 2017, In: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Citations: 24

Constitutive and herbivore-induced plant defences regulate herbivore population processes
Mônica F. Kersch-Becker, Jennifer S. Thaler, Jul 2019, In: Journal of Animal Ecology
Citations: 22

Arthropod-bacteria interactions influence assembly of aquatic host microbiome and pathogen defense
Sasha E. Greenspan, Mariana L. Lyra, Gustavo H. Migliorini, Mônica F. Kersch-Becker, Molly C. Bletz, Cybele Sabino Lisboa, Mariana R. Pontes, Luisa P. Ribeiro, Wesley J. Neely, Felipe Rezende, Gustavo Q. Romero, Douglas C. Woodhams, Célio F.B. Haddad, Luís Felipe Toledo, C. Guilherme Becker, Jun 26 2019, In: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Citations: 20

Climate variability and aridity modulate the role of leaf shelters for arthropods
Gustavo Q. Romero, Thiago Gonçalves-Souza, Tomas Roslin, Robert J Marquis, Nicholas A.C. Marino, Vojtech Novotny, Tatiana Cornelissen, Jerome Orivel, Shen Sui, Gustavo Aires, Reuber Antoniazzi, Wesley Dáttilo, Crasso P B Breviglieri, Annika Busse, Heloise Gibb, Thiago J. Izzo, Tomas Kadlec, Vi..., Jun 2022, In: Global Change Biology
Citations: 19

The role of spider hunting mode on the strength of spider–plant mutualisms
Mônica F. Kersch-Becker, Bruno B. Grisolia, Maria J.O. Campos, Gustavo Q. Romero, Sep 1 2018, In: Oecologia
Citations: 17

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Centers & Institutes

Ecology IGDP

Danilo Ferreira Borges dos Santos

Monica Kersch-Becker

Areas of Expertise

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