Challenges and opportunities in management of emerging and alien invasive pest in peaches
Nikos Papadopoulos is Full Professor of Applied Entomology at the University of Thessaly, Greece. His research interests are focusing on the ecology, evolution, behavior, and management insects particularly that of fruit flies (Tephritidae), the most important group of invasive pests. His research includes the overwintering dynamics of insect pests in marginal for their existence environments, population dynamics and population models, the divergence of life history traits of invasive (geographically distant) populations, several aspects of the demography and behavior of fruit flies, and recently the expansion of pests’ distribution in cooler, northern temperate areas (northern coasts of the Mediterranean sea, central Europe). Understanding local adaptation and the interplay between natural selection, gene flow and plasticity in major life history traits is the main venue of his current and future research. Over the years, he served as consultant for the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Japanese non-profit organization NICOOD, the European Union, the European Food Safety Authority, and the International Olive Council.