Adjunct Professor
Anthony Clarke
Faculty of Science,
School of Biology & Environmental Science
Biography
Short version Fresh produce is essential for healthy communities, while horticulture is the fastest growing agricultural sector across the globe. Unfortunately, in nearly all parts of world, fleshy fruits and vegetables are subject to infestation by fruit flies. These insects lay their eggs into fruit, where the eggs hatch into maggots which feed in the fruit. If uncontrolled, fruit flies can destroy 20-100% of a crop. I am an acknowledged world leader in researching the biology and management of fruit flies, particularly those native to Asia, Australia and Pacific, which belong to the genera Bactrocera and Zeugodacus. My laboratory's research is presented at https://research.qut.edu.au/fruitflyqutLong version I completed my PhD in entomology from The University of Queensland in 1992, following on from a B.Agr.Sc [Entomology major] at the same institution in 1986. After graduating, I spent 10 years as a research fellow working on insect ecology at the University of Tasmania, The University of Queensland and Griffith University. At Griffith University I worked on fruit flies for the first time, under the mentorship of R.A.I. Drew. In 2002 I took up a tenured position as a lecturer in ecology with the Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, where I now hold the title of Professor and Chair of Fruit Fly Biology and Management. Most of my research has focused on the science underpinning sustainable insect pest management, with an emphasis on forestry and horticultural systems. My exclusive research focus for over a decade has been on tropical fruit flies of the genus Bactrocera, which are the primary horticultural insect pests of Asia, Australia and the Pacific, and increasingly of Africa following the 2003 invasion of Oriental fruit fly. I have participated in numerous international fruit fly projects which have seen me work with colleagues throughout the world, including hard to get to countries such as Papua New Guinea and Bhutan. I am the author or co-author of over 140 refereed publications (80+ on tephritids) and have graduated 20 research higher degree students, predominantly PhDs, and am currently supervising a further six. I am an elected fellow of the Royal Entomological Society of London, and in 2014 was winner of the Australian Entomological Society’s Mackerras Medal for excellence in entomology.
Personal details
Positions
- Adjunct Professor
Faculty of Science,
School of Biology & Environmental Science
Keywords
Tephritidae, Fruit fly, Horticultural entomology, Insect ecology, Entomology, Integrated pest management
Research field
Ecology, Horticultural Production, Evolutionary Biology
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2008
Qualifications
- Ph.d (Entomology) (University of Queensland)
Professional memberships and associations
Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society; Member of the Australian Entomological Society; Member of the Entomological Society of America
Publications
- Nagalingam, K., Lorenc, M., Manoli, S., Cameron, S., Clarke, A. & Dudley, K. (2018). Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) method for non-model fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) and evidence of histone modifications. PLoS One, 13(3), 1–13. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/223793
- Nagalingam, K., Van Der Burg, C., Qin, Y., Cameron, S., Clarke, A. & Prentis, P. (2018). Plant-mediated female transcriptomic changes post-mating in a Tephritid fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni. Genome Biology and Evolution, 10(1), 94–107. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/223437
- Wee, S., Peek, T. & Clarke, A. (2018). The responsiveness of Bactrocera jarvisi (Diptera: Tephritidae) to two naturally occurring phenylbutaonids, zingerone and raspberry ketone. Journal of Insect Physiology, 109, 41–46. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/121589
- Schutze, M., Strutt, F., Clarke, A., Cameron, S. & Krosch, M. (2019). A transcriptome-based analytical workflow for identifying loci for species diagnosis: a case study with Bactrocera fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae). Austral Entomology, 58(2), 395–408. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/113703
- Ekanayake, W., Clarke, A. & Schutze, M. (2017). Effect of body size, age, and premating experience on male mating success in Bactrocera tryoni (Diptera: Tephritidae). Journal of Economic Entomology, 110(5), 2278–2281. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/125624
- Schutze, M., Bourtzis, K., Cameron, S., Clarke, A., De Meyer, M., Hee, A., Hendrichs, J., Krosch, M. & Mwatawala, M. (2017). Integrative taxonomy versus taxonomic authority without peer review: the case of the Oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Tephritidae). Austral Entomology, 42(4), 609–620. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/113704
- Dohino, T., Hallman, G., Grout, T., Clarke, A., Follett, P., Cugala, D., Minh Tu, D., Murdita, W., Hernandez, E., Pereira, R. & Myers, S. (2017). Phytosanitary treatments against Bactrocera dorsalis (Diptera: Tephritidae): Current situation and future prospects. Journal of Economic Entomology, 110(1), 67–79. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/125626
- Boontop, Y., Nagalingam, K., Schutze, M., Clarke, A., Cameron, S. & Krosch, M. (2017). Population structure in Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Diptera: Tephritidae) across Thailand and the Thai-Malay peninsula: natural barriers to a great disperser. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 121(3), 540–555. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/106904
- Boontop, Y., Schutze, M., Clarke, A., Cameron, S. & Krosch, M. (2017). Signatures of invasion: using an integrative approach to infer the spread of melon fly, Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Diptera: Tephritidae), across Southeast Asia and the West Pacific. Biological Invasions, 19(5), 1597–1619. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/106903
- Schutze, M., Virgilio, M., Norrbom, A. & Clarke, A. (2017). Tephritid integrative taxonomy: Where we are now, with a focus on the resolution of three tropical fruit fly species complexes. Annual Review of Entomology, 62, 147–164. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/110269
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Anthony, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Awards
- Type
- Appointment to Prestigious Positions
- Reference year
- 2016
- Details
- Elected to the Australian Research Council College of Experts.
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2014
- Details
- Winner of the Australian Entomological Society 2014 Mackerras Medal for 'Excellence in Entomology'. The Mackerras medal is the Society's highest award, given only once every two years for a scientist under the age of 50.
- Type
- Appointment to Prestigious Positions
- Reference year
- 2014
- Details
- Appointed as 'Professor and Chair of Fruit Fly Biology', a position created and co-funded by QUT and the Plant Biosecurity CRC to a play a national leadership and coordination role in fruit fly research and management.
- Type
- Appointment to State/National/International Reference Group or Government Committees
- Reference year
- 2014
- Details
- Chaired the national writing group for the preparation and writing of the 'National Fruit Fly RD&E Plan', a 20 year plan for the management of fruit flies in Australia. The plan requested by the Federal Minister of Agriculture, the Hon. Barnaby Joyce MP.
- Type
- Committee Role/Editor or Chair of an Academic Conference
- Reference year
- 2014
- Details
- Chaired the "Expert consultation on phytosanitary treatments for the Bactrocera dorsalis complex", a meeting called and organised by the Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention, itself a supported group of the United Nation's Food and Agricultural Organisation. The meeting held in Okinawa, Japan, 1st-5th December 2014.
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2011
- Details
- Awarded the CRCNPB's 2011 Science Excellence Award for the project "Resolving the Bactrocera dorsalis complex".
- Type
- Membership of Learned Societies
- Reference year
- 2006
- Details
- Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society
Selected research projects
- Title
- Managing Complex Networks in Endangered Grasslands to Restore Food Webs
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- DP190100500
- Start year
- 2019
- Keywords
- Title
- The Evolution of Generalism: Why so Many Polyphagous Fruit Flies?
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- DP180101915
- Start year
- 2018
- Keywords
- Title
- Centre for Fruit Fly Biosecurity Innovation
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- IC150100026
- Start year
- 2016
- Keywords
Projects listed above are funded by Australian Competitive Grants. Projects funded from other sources are not listed due to confidentiality agreements.
Supervision
Completed supervisions (Doctorate)
- The Role of Learning in the Ecology of Diachasmimorpha kraussii (Fullaway) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Opiinae), and Implications for Tephritid Pest Management (2018)
- The Mating System and Courtship Behaviour of the Queensland Fruit Fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) (Diptera: Tephritidae) (2017)
- Natural Variation and Biogeography of the Melon Fruit Fly, Zeugodacus Cucurbitae (Diptera Tephritidae), in Southeast-Asia and the West-Pacific (2016)
- Functional significance of male attractants of Bactrocera tryoni (Diptera: Tephritidae) and underlying mechanisms (2014)
- The Functional Significance of Fruit Exocarp on Host Selection and Oviposition by Queensland Fruit Fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) (Tephritidae: Diptera) (2014)
- Citrus host utilisation by the Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Frogatt) (Diptera:Tephritidae): from individuals to populations (2013)