Rebecca Simmons

BIOL 120: Orientation to the Biology Major (Fall semesters)

BIOL 312: Evolution (Spring semesters)

BIOL 312L: Evolution Lab (Spring semesters)

BIOL 480: Biology Senior Capstone Seminar (Spring semesters)

I am interested in the evolution of complex behaviors and phenotypes, particularly in tiger moths and other insects. I am also interested in molecular evolution of genes that control the expression of these behaviors and phenoptypes. I use phylogenetic approaches (evolutionary trees) to understand how characteristics and loci change over time, resulting in the wide array of biological diversity found on Earth. Most recently, my students and I have been exploring the interaction between microbes and native pollinators found in the Northern Great Plains.

PUBLICATIONS (* = undergraduate student co-author)

2023    Sisson, M., M. J. Flom*, J. L. Crossley*, R. Simmons. A Molecular Phylogeny of the Noctuini (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Noctuinae). Insect Systematics and Diversity. 7(3): 1-10. doi.org/10.1093/isd/ixad009

2023    Thompson, M. A., B. E. McCann, R. Simmons and T. Rhen. Major locus on ECA18 influences effectiveness of GonaCon vaccine in feral horses. Journal of Reproductive Immunology. 155: 103779. doi.org/10.1016/j.jri.2022.103779

2022    Pedersen, D., A. Kubátová, R. Simmons. Authenticity and psychological safety: Building and encouraging talent among underrepresented students in STEM. Teaching and Learning Inquiry. 10. https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.10.31

2021    Crespi, E., R. Burnap, J. Chen, M. Das, N. Gassman, E. Rosa Jr., R. Simmons, H. Wada, Z. Q. Wang, J. Xiao, B. Yan, J. Yin, and J. V. Goldstone. Resolving the rules of robustness and resilience in biology across scales. Integrative and Comparative Biology. icab183. doi: 10.1093.icb/icab183.

2021    Rhen, T. E., Z. Even*, A. Brenner*, A. Miller*, D. Das, S. K. Singh, and R. Simmons. Evolutionary turnover in Wnt gene expression, but conservation of Wnt signaling during ovary development in a TSD reptile. Sexual Development. 2021: 1-22. doi: 10.1159/000516973.

2021    Genevcius, B. C., C. Greve, S. Koehler, R. Simmons, D. A. Rider, J. Grazia, and C. F. Schwertner. Phylogeny of the stink bug tribe Chlorocorini (Heteroptera, Petatomidae) based on DNA and morphological data. Systematic Entomology 46(2): 327-338. doi: 10.111/syne.12464.

2020    Dowdy, N, S. Keating, A. Lemmon, E. Lemmon, W. Conner, S. Weller, R. Simmons, M. Sisson, J. Zaspel. A deeper meaning for shallow level phylogenomic studies: Nested anchored hybrid enrichment offers great promise for resolving the tiger moth tree of life (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Erebidae). Systematic Entomology 45: 874-893.

2020    Darby, B., R. Bryant, A. Keller*, M. Jochim*, J. Moe*, C. Pratt*, N. H. Euliss, Jr., M. Park, R. Simmons, C. Otto. Molecular sequencing and morphological identification reveal similar patterns in native bee communities across private and public grasslands of eastern North Dakota. PLoS one 15(1): e0227918.

2018    McCann, B. E., T. J. Symser, B. S. Schmit, R. A. Newman, A. J. Piaggio, M. J. Malek, S. R. Swafford, R. A. Sweitzer, and R. B. Simmons. Identification of molecular population structure for feral swine in the United States. J. of Wildlife Management 82: 821-832.

2016    Connahs, H., T. E. Rhen, and R. B. Simmons. Physiological perturbation reveals modularity of eyespot development in the painted lady butterfly, Vanessa cardui. PLoS one 11(8): e0161745.

2016    Connahs, H., T. E. Rhen, and R. B. Simmons. Transcriptome analysis of the painted lady butterfly, Vanessa cardui during wing color pattern development. BMC Genomics. 17: 270. DOI 10.1186/s12864-016-2586-5.

2015    Sweitzer, R. A., B. E. McCann, R. L. Loggins, and R. B. Simmons. Mitochondrial DNA perspectives on the introduction and spread of wild pigs in California. California Fish and Game 101: 131-145.

2014    McCann, B., M. Malek*, R. Newman, B. Schmit, S. Swafford, R. Sweitzer, and R. B. Simmons. Mitochondrial DNA relationships of wild-living pigs in the United States. J. Wildlife Management. 78: 202-213. 

2012    Simmons, R. B., S. J. Weller, and S. J. Johnson*. The evolution of androconia in mimetic tiger moths (Noctuoidea: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Ctenuchina and Euchromiina). Annals of the Ent. Soc. Amer. 105: 804-816.

2008    Pogue, M. G. and R. B. Simmons. A new pest species of Copitarsia (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) from the Neotropical region feeding on Asparagus and cut flowers. Annals of the Ent. Soc. Amer. 101: 743-762.

2006    Simmons, R. B. A revision of Psoloptera Butler, including a re-description of its species (Arctiidae: Arctiinae: Euchromiini). Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society 60: 121-125.

2006    Simmons, R. B. and S. J. Weller. Review of the Sphecosoma genus group using adult morphology (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae). Thomas Say Monograph Series, 108 pp., 108 figs.

2004    Simmons, R. B. and M. G. Pogue. Redescription of two often confused noctuid pests, Copitarsia decolora(Guenée) and C. incommoda (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Cuculliinae). Annals of Ent. Soc. Amer. 97: 1159-1164.

2004    Simmons, R. B. and S. J. Scheffer. Evidence of cryptic species within the pest Copitarsia decolora (Guenée) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Annals of Ent. Soc. Amer. 97: 675-680.

2004    Simmons, R. B. Description of Sphecosoma pattiannae Simmons, a new euchromiine species, with comments on novel male androconia (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae: Arctiinae: Euchromiini). Zootaxa 519: 1-12.

2004    Weller, S.J., R. B. Simmons, and A. Carlson*. Empyreuma species and species limits: Evidence from morphology and molecules (Arctiidae: Arctiinae: Ctenuchini). Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society 58: 21-32.

2002    Simmons, R. B. and S. J. Weller. What kind of signals do mimetic tiger moths send? A phylogenetic test in tiger moths (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae: Euchromiini). Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, series B 269: 983-990.

2001    Simmons, R. B. and S. J. Weller. Preliminary phylogeny of mimetic tiger moths (Lepidoptera) and evolution of cyt b in Insecta. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 20: 196-210.

2000    Weller, S. J., R. B. Simmons, R. Boada, and W. E. Conner. Abdominal modifications occurring in wasp mimics of the ctenuchine-euchromiine clade. Annals of Ent. Soc. Amer. 93(4): 920-928.

1998    Simmons, R. B., W. E. Conner, and R. B. Davidson. Identification of major components of the female pheromone blend of Euchaetes egle Drury (Arctiidae). Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society 52(4): 356-363.

1996    Simmons, R. B. and W. E. Conner. Acoustic cues in the defense and courtship of Euchaetes egle Drury and E. bolteri Stretch (Lepidoptera, Arctiidae). Journal of Insect Behavior 9: 909-919.

Invited Book Chapters

2013    Gould, J., R. B. Simmons, and R. C. Venette. Biology and Invasive Risk of Copitarsia sp.: A South American lepidopteran agricultural pest. Potential Invasive Pests of Agricultural Crops, edited by J. E. Peña. Centre for Agricultural Bioscience International, pp. 160-182.

2009    Simmons, R. B. Chapter 7: Adaptive Coloration and Mimicry. Tiger Moths and Wooly Bears: Behavior, Ecology, and Natural History of the Arctiidae, edited by W. E. Conner, Oxford University Press, pp. 115-126. Invited Book Chapters continued.

2009    Weller, S. J., M. A. DaCosta, R. B. Simmons, K. Dittmar, and M. Whiting. Chapter 3: Evolution and Taxonomic Confusion in Arctiidae: A Multitude of Moths. Behavior, Ecology, and Natural History of the Arctiidae, edited by W. E. Conner, Oxford University Press, pp. 11-30.

Non-Peer Reviewed

2021    Ware, J., R. Simmons, A. Romero, and A. Whitener. Profiles of ESA member diversity: Adekunle “Kule” Adesanya (PBT Section) and Sangmi Lee (SysEB section). American Entomologist 67(4): 52-56.

2021    Whitener, A., A. Romero, R. Simmons, and J. Ware. Profiles of member diversity: Navneet Kaur (PIE and PBT Sections) and Tanja McKay (MVUE Section). American Entomologist 67(3): 35-38.

2021    Romero, A., R. Simmons, J. Ware, and A. Whitener. Profiles of member diversity: Adrian Fisher (PBT Section) and Adalberto (Beto) Angel Pérez de León (MVUE and PIE Sections). American Entomologist 67(2): 35-39.

2021    Ware, J., A. Whitener, R. Simmons. Profiles of member diversity: Melanie Kirby (P-IE Section) and Chris Hamilton (SysEB Section). American Entomologist 67(1): 54-59. doi: 10.1093/ae/tmab005.

2021    Hamilton, C. A., F. W. Shockley, R. Simmons, A. Smith, J. Ware, and J. Zaspel. Letter to the Editor: The Future for a Prominent Taxonomy. Insect Systematics and Diversity 5(1): 1-2.

2019    Burnap, R., J. Chen, E. Crespi, M. Das, R. Simmons, Z. Wang, J. Xiao, B. Yang, J. Yin. NSF Reintegrating Biology Workshop Vision Paper: Finding common rules of robustness and resilience that span multiple levels of biological organization. https://reintegratingbiology.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Team-RR-Vision-Paper-Final.pdf.2007    

PRESENTATIONS (* student co-author)

Invited Presentations (last five years)

2022    R. B. Simmons. Winging it: Using molecular systematics to understand the evolution of tiger moths, wild horses and as a construct for STEM education. March 15, 2022. Seminar series, Dept. of Entomology, University of Minnesota.

2020    R. B. Simmons, A. Kubátová, D. Pedersen, A. Kelsch, J. Hawthorne, G. Vandeberg, S. Mattingly, S. Nelson. Virtual Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America. November 11-30, 2020. Examining the Role of Mentoring on Student Success in STEM.

2019    R. B. Simmons. Seminar Series, United Tribes Technical College. March 8, 2019. Just winging it: Using evolutionary methods to understand insect biodiversity.

2018    R. B. Simmons, B. Darby, and M. Park. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, North Central Branch. Rapid identification of pollinator communities via a DNA sequencing pipeline.

Contributed Presentations (last five years)

2022    R. B. Simmons, A. Kubátová, D. Pedersen, G. Vandeberg, K. Marasinghe, S. Mattingly, R. Zerr. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America. Nov. 13-16, 2022. Using Student Book Clubs to Enhance the Formation of Science Identity in STEM Undergraduates.

2022    S. Winterton and R. B. Simmons. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America. Nov. 13-16, 2022. A molecular phylogeny of the Ctenuchina.

2022    A. Knudson, R. B. Simmons, J. Bowsher, J. J. Knodel, and D. Rider. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America. Nov. 13-16, 2022. Cleaning out the junk drawer: A phylogeny of the Teleonemia Costa generic complex (Hemiptera: Tingidae).

2021    K. Reinsche, J. Fetzer, M. Martin, S. C. McGuinness, J. L. Pedersen, S. Poitra, H. Qualley, B. Rainbow, and R. Simmons. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America. Oct. 31-Nov. 3, 2021. Core microbiomes of solitary pollinators: Comparison of native bees and flies (Hymenoptera: Anthophila; Diptera: Syrphidae).

2021    M. Sisson and R. Simmons. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America. Oct. 31-Nov. 3, 2021. Phylogenetic relationships of euchromiine tiger moths.

2021    R. Simmons, M. Sisson, and K. Bierstedt. Virtual Meeting of the Arctiine Research Community. May 28, 2021. Phylogenetic relationships of the Ctenuchina: more questions than answers?

2020    D. Montplaisir, J. Burum, and R. Simmons. Virtual Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America. November 11-30, 2020. Genomic Tools for Examining Sex Determing Loci in the White Marked Tussock Moth, Orgyia leucostigma (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Lymantriinae).

2020    M. Sisson, K. Bierstedt, and R. Simmons. Virtual Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America. November 11-30, 2020. Phylogenetic relationships of the euchromiine tiger moths.

2020    A. Kubátová, D. Pedersen, A. Kelsch, J. Hawthorne, R. Simmons, G. Vandeberg, S. Mattingly, S. Nelson. American Chemical Society 2020 Virtual Meeting and Expo. August 17, 2020. Implementation of tiered mentoring and professional development for mentees and mentors to promote science identity and increase success in STEM.

2020    D. Pedersen, A. Kubátová, and R. B. Simmons. American Association of Behavioral and Social Sciences Conference, February 25, 2020, Las Vegas, NV. Authenticity and psychological safety: Building and encouraging talent in underrepresented students in STEM.

2019    M.S. Sisson and R. B. Simmons. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, November 18, 2019, St. Louis, MO. Graduate Student Oral Competition. Using phylogenetics to understand the evolution of wing patterns in mimetic tiger moths (Lepidoptera: Erebidae).

2018    M. S. Sisson and R. B. Simmons. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, November 12, 2018, Vancouver, Canada. Graduate Student Oral Competition. Testing the utility of well-known lepidopteran genes for examining phylogenetic relationships in mimetic tiger moths (Arctiinae: Arctiini: Euchromiini).

2018    A. L. Keller, W. Hasler, M. Jochim, J. Moe, C. Pratt, B. Darby, M. Park and R. B. Simmons. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, November 12, 2018, Vancouver, Canada. Graduate Student Oral Competition. Identifying pollinator communities with high-throughput molecular sequencing.

2018    R. B. Simmons, M. S. Sisson, M. Flom and J. Mabey. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, November 12, 2018, Vancouver, Canada. Use of three loci to understand generic relationships within the Noctuini. (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

Submitted Posters (last five years)

2022    A. R. Rehbein, L. K. Gibson, K. Kempel, K. J. Morin, H. Qualley, and R. B. Simmons. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America. Nov. 13-16, 2022. Determining gut microbes of hoverflies living in the Northern Plains.

2022    L. K. Gibson, A. R. Rehbein, K. Kempel, H. Qualley, R. B. Simmons, K. J. Morin. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America. Nov. 13-16, 2022. The effect of plant biodiversity on the gut microbiomes of pollinator species.

2022    K. Kempel, L. K. Gibson, H. Qualley, K. J. Moring, R. B. Simmons, A. R. Rehbein. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America. Nov. 13-16, 2022. Microbiome composition of Megachilidae found in the Northern Great Plains.

2022    J. Pedersen and R. B. Simmons. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America. Nov. 13-16, 2022. The insect apocalypse: Representation bias in media.

2021    J. Pedersen, J. Fetzer, M. Martin, S. C. McGuinness, S. Poitra, H. Qualley, R. Rainbow, R. Simmons. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America. Oct. 31-Nov. 3, 2021. Overview of ladybird beetle microbiomes (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae).

2021    S. C. McGuinness, H. Qualley, K. Riensche, J. L. Pedersen, B. Rainbow, S. Poitra, R. B. Simmons, M. Ivie. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America. Oct. 31-Nov. 3, 2021. Biodiversity of solitary bees in northwestern Montana.

AWARDS AND HONORS

2021    Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching, Entomological Society of America (national award).

2021    Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching, North Central Branch of the Entomological Society of America (regional award).

2014    UND Foundation/Karleen Home Rosaaen Award for Excellence in Academic Advising. University of North Dakota.

2011    Fellow. National Academy of Science Summer Teaching Institute. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.

2009    UND Foundation Award for Individual Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. University of North Dakota.

B.S., Biology, Bridgewater College, Bridgewater VA

M.S., Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC

Ph.D., Entomology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN

Collaborative Fellow, USDA/ARS/Systematic Entomology Laboratory and Dept. of Entomology, Smithsonian Museum of Natural History