Geoff Gurr
Personal Information
Geoff's first degree in biology covered the full spectrum of biological sciences
ranging from biochemistry and microbes to ecology and resource management. After
graduating, he joined the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (UK) where, over
the following eight years, he gained wide experience with different crops. While
there, he conducted a four year Ministry-funded study on how resistant potatoes could
be used in managing cyst nematodes. The answer turned out to be that they were best
used as part of an integrated pest management strategy. The findings were widely
published in industry and scientific circles and earned him a PhD from the University
of London.
After an extended holiday in Australia, he migrated there in early 1991 and joined the
University of Melbourne. Here, the link with potatoes continued but this time with
different pests: the tuber moth and the diseases pink rot and powdery scab. He also
dabbled with the red-legged earth mite and control of Poa tussock grass.
In 1992, Geoff moved to Orange and now, as Professor Applied Ecology he manages
an extensive research program. In 1997 Geoff was awarded Fellowship of the Royal
Entomological Society for his contribution to agricultural entomology.
CURRENT CURRICULUM VITAE
Professional Affiliations
Geoff is a member of the Australian Entomological Society and the Royal
Entomological Society.
Teaching Interests
In the School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences, Geoff Gurr co-ordinates a graduate
unit in integrated pest management as part of the program in sustainable agriculture, a
program which is available to Australian and international students in distance
education mode.
Geoff's undergraduate 'Plant Protection' is available on campus and by distance
education. Follow these links to see samples of the teaching materials.
View more detail on teaching
Research
Major research interests
 Biological control using food bearing plants as resources for natural enemies
 Measurement and enhancement of ecosystem services by functional
agricultural biodiversity
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Tritrophic studies of host-plant/herbivore/natural enemy interactions.
Integrated pest management with a major focus on horticultural and field
crops.
Evaluation of 'soft' pesticides
View more detail on research
Publications
Highlighted publications in this list can be accessed by weblink. Formal
reprints of these and other publications are available on request;
ggurr@csu.edu.au
Gurr’s publications total almost 200, including two edited books, nineteen book
chapters, over 70 refereed journal and refereed conference papers and 121 citations to
date and ninth most frequently downloaded article ever from Ann Rev Entomology.
Selected Publications
1.
Zehnder, G., Gurr, G. M., Kühne, S., Wade, M. R., Wratten, S.D. & Wyss, E.
(2007). Arthropod pest management for organic crops. Annual Review of
Entomology. 52: 57-80 . (10.151 ).
2.
Wade, M. R. Gurr, G.M. & Wratten, S. D., Ecological restoration in farmland.
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, Series B – Biological
Sciences. Special Issue: Sustainable Agriculture (eds C. Pollock, I. Crute, H.
Dalton, C. Leaver & J. Pretty). ( accepted ) ( 4.997).
3.
Gurr G. M., Wratten, S. D. and Altieri M. A. (eds). (2004) Ecological
Engineering: Advances in Habitat Manipulation for Arthropods. CSIRO
Publishing, Melbourne (Australasian publisher)/ CABI International,
Wallingford (European Publisher)/ Cornell University Press, Ithaca (
Americas publisher). 244 pp. ( ISBN 0643090223).
4.
Gurr, G. M. Wratten, S. D. and Luna, J. (2003). Multi-function agricultural
biodiversity: pest management and other benefits. Basic and Applied Ecology,
4: 107-116. ( 1.824 )
5.
Chang, J. C., Fletcher, M. J., Gurr, G. M., Kent, D. S. and Gilbert, R. G.
(2005). A new biopolymer: mechanical, compositional and morphological
characterisation of a novel silk from the leafhopper (Kahaono montana).
Polymer: 46: 7909-7917. ( 2.433 )
6.
Begum, M., Gurr G. M. and Wratten, S. D., Hedberg, P. and Nicol H. I.
(2006). Using selective food plants to maximize biological control of vineyard
pests. Journal of Applied Ecology, 43: 547-554. ( 3.266 )
7.
Pilkington, L. J., Gibb, K. S., Gurr, G. M., Fletcher, M. J., Nikandrow, A.,
Elliott, E. van de Ven, R. and Read, D. M. Y. (2003). Detection and
identification of a phytoplasma from lucerne with 'Australian lucerne yellows'
disease. Plant Pathology. 52: 754-762. ( 1.467)
8.
Hossain, Z., Gurr, G. M., Wratten, S. D. and Raman A. (2002) Habitat
manipulation in lucerne (Medicago sativa L.): arthropod population dynamics
in harvested and 'refuge' crop strips. Journal of Applied Ecology. 39: 445-454.
( 3.266 )
9.
Landis, D., Wratten, S. D. and Gurr, G. M. (2000) Habitat management for
natural enemies. Annual Review of Entomology. 45: 175-201. ( 10.151)
Available at: http://arjournals.annualreviews.org/toc/ento/45/1
10.
Gurr G. M. and Wratten, S. D. (eds). (2000). Biological Control: Measures of
Success. Kluwer Academic Publishers: Dordrecht, 448 pp. (ISBN 0-41284280-7).
Books
1.
Gurr G. M., Wratten, S. D. and Altieri M. A. (eds). (2004) Ecological
Engineering: Advances in Habitat Manipulation for Arthropods. CSIRO
Publishing, Melbourne (Australasian publisher)/ CABI International,
Wallingford (European Publisher)/ Cornell University Press, Ithaca (Americas
publisher). 244 pp. (ISBN 0643090223)
2.
Gurr G. M. and Wratten, S. D. (eds). (2000). Biological Control: Measures of
Success. Kluwer: Dordrecht. 448 pp. (ISBN 0-412-84280-7)
Chapters in Books
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5.
Gurr, G. M. Population dynamics: biological control models. In:
Encyclopaedia of Ecology (Ed S. E. Jorgensen). Elsevier, Amsterdam. (Invited
4,000 word entry) (in review).
Gurr, G. M., Scarratt, S. L., Jacometti, M. and Wratten, S. D. Management of
pests and diseases in vineyards in New Zealand and Australia . In: Biological
control: case studies from around the world . (Eds C. Vincent, M. Goettel and
G. Lazarovits), CABI Publishing, U.K. (in press)
Gurr, G. M., Price, P. W., Urrutia M., Wade, M. & Wratten, S. D. Ecology of
predator-prey and parasitoid-host systems: Its role in IPM. In: Ecologically
Based Integrated Pest Management (Eds O. Koul and G. W. Cuperus). CAB
International, Wallingford (in press).
Wratten, S. D., Gurr, G. M. , Tylianakis, J. and Robinson, K. A. Cultural
control of aphids. In: Aphids as Crop Pests (Eds. H.F. Van Emden, and R.
Harrington) CAB International, Wallingford (in press).
Wratten, S. D., Hochuli, D., Gurr G. M., Tylianakis, J. and Scarratt, S.
Conservation, biodiversity and Integrated Pest Management. In: Perspectives
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in Ecological Theory and Integrated Pest Management (Eds M. Kogan & P.
Jepson). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. (in press).
Tylianakis, J., Gurr G. M. and Wratten S. D. (2005) Insect Interactions with
other pests (weeds, pathogens, nematodes). In: Encyclopedia of Plant and
Crop Science (Ed. R.M. Goodman) Marcel Dekker , New York, DOI
10.1081/E-EPCS-120010495.
Gurr, G. M. Wratten, S. D. Tylianakis, J. Kean, J. and Keller, M. (2005).
Providing Plant Foods for Natural Enemies in Farming Systems: Balancing
Practicalities and Theory. In: Plant-Provided Food For HerbivoreCarnivorous Insects: a Protective Mutualism and its Applications (Eds. F.L.
Wackers, P.C.J. van Rijn, and J. Bruin) Cambridge University Press,
Cambridge, pp. 326-347.
Gurr, G. M., Scarratt, S. L., Wratten, S. D., Berndt, L. & Irvin, N (2004).
Ecological engineering, habitat manipulation and pest management. In:
Ecological Engineering for Pest Management: Advances in Habitat
Manipulation for Arthropods (Eds GM Gurr, SD Wratten and MA Altieri).
CSIRO Publishing. pp 1-12.
Altieri, M. A., Gurr, G. M. and Wratten, S. D. (2004). Genetic engineering and
ecological engineering: a clash of paradigms or scope for synergy? In:
Ecological Engineering for Pest Management: Advances in Habitat
Manipulation for Arthropods (Eds GM Gurr, SD Wratten and MA Altieri).
CSIRO Publishing. pp 13-32.
Kinross, C. Wratten, S. D. and Gurr, G. M. (2004). Pest management and
wildlife conservation: compatible goals for ecological engineering? In:
Ecological Engineering for Pest Management: Advances in Habitat
Manipulation for Arthropods (Eds GM Gurr, SD Wratten and MA Altieri).
CSIRO Publishing. pp 199-218.
Gurr, G. M., Wratten, S. D. and Altieri, M. A. (2004). Ecological engineering
for enhanced pest management: towards a rigorous science In: Ecological
Engineering for Pest Management: Advances in Habitat Manipulation for
Arthropods (Eds GM Gurr, SD Wratten and MA Altieri). CSIRO Publishing.
pp. 219-225.
Gurr, G. M. and Wratten, S. D. (2002). Spodoptera litura; Economic Impact.
In: Global Crop Protection Compendium. CAB International, Wallingford.
Wratten, S. D and Gurr, G. M. (2002). Field Crop Pest Management (Insects
and Mites). In: Encyclopaedia of Pest Management (Ed. D. Pimentel) Taylor
& Francis: New York. pp. 266-269.