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Welcome to the Fortuin
Forest Invertebrate Conservation Lab

We are an interdisciplinary research lab focused on the preservation and management of biotic resources and ecosystem services in managed forests with a focus on beneficial invertebrate communities.  We are conducting investigations in the impacts of pesticides, natural disturbances, and forest management practices on beneficial invertebrate communities, with the goal of promoting ecosystem resilience and sustainability in managed forests.  We are based in the Department of Forestry within the College of Forest Resources at Mississippi State University and share lab space with Dr. Ashley Schulz's Disturbance Ecology Lab.  Contact Dr. Christine Fortuin for additional information about the work of the lab, or to inquire about student opportunities.  Please explore the site links for more information about what we do.

Lab News / Recent Press

Lab News:

  • John Omolewa, graduate student in the Forest Invertebrate Conservation Lab, won second place in the Mississippi Association of Entomology, Nematology and Plant Pathology annual student poster competition for his poster presentation, titled "Impact of Land Use Types on Pollinator Communities in Upland Oak Forests"

  • Olivia Burdine, Undergraduate Research Scholar in the Forest Invertebrate Conservation Lab, won third place in the Undergraduate Research Symposium for her poster presentation, titled "Investigating Plant-Pollinator Network Associations of Northeast Mississippi and Alabama."  

Press:

Research Projects

Explore Our Current Focus Areas:

Scientist in the Lab
Image by Brian McGowan
Image by Markus Spiske

Pesticides

Investigating non-target effects of pesticides and other environmental contaminates on native pollinators

Natural Disturbances

Understanding and predicting the impacts of severe weather events on forest ecology and invertebrate communities

Forest Management

Investigating drivers of pollinator biodiversity in managed southeastern U.S. forests

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