Kirk J. Larsen
Professor of Biology
Insect Ecology and Prairie Pyrobiology
email: larsenkj@luther.edu

Courses Taught:
Bio 251: Entomology
Bio 253: Invertebrate Zoology
Bio 151: Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity
Bio 245: Ecology of Ecuador
Bio 112: Insects, Humans and the Environment

In the summer I teach Ecology, Entomology, or Field Zoology at the Wheaton College Science Station in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Click here for current research projects.
Click here for list of selected publications.

Personal Information:

I am an entomologist with special interests in prairie ecology and insect behavior, and have been teaching in the Department of Biology at Luther since 1993. My family includes my wife Shirley, three kids: Kelly, Karl & Kendra, and dog, Koda. Besides my family, I have a variety of other interests. One area of intellectual interest involves understanding the interactions between science and the Christian faith, especially the area of creation cae, looking at our relationship to the environment and responsibilities as stewards of creation. I am a member of Decorah Covenant Church. For relaxation, I enjoy gardening, playing trombone, hiking, cross-country skiing, swimming and snorkeling, fly fishng, burning prairies, and eating ice cream.

Current Research Projects.

Plant and Insect Communities in the US-52 Roadside Prairie Plantings. This project is funded by research grants from the Iowa Department of Transportation Living Roadway Trust Fund (LRTF). We are studying the impact of a roadside prairie planting project in Northeasten Iowa along US-52 from Decorah north to the Minnesota state line. This project started in the summer of 2008, is using butterflies and ground beetles as indiators of impacts of native plant species establishment.

Impact of Stream and Riparian Habitat Improvement on Aquatic and Terrestrial Insect Communities. In 2004, Dr. Michael Osterholm began a major stream restoration project in Waterloo Creek NW of Dorchester, Iowa in Allamakee County. This project also involved establishment of native prairie in the riparian areas, and restoration of oak savanna in upland forests. Since 2005 we have been monitoring benthic macroinvertebrate communitie in Waterloo Creek, Duck Creek, and Brook Creek on site, and comparing those communities to South Pine Creek, a high quality stream containing the only known remnant native population of brook trout in NE Iowa. We have also been monitoring ground beetle and butterfly communities in the prairie reconstruction and oak savanna restoration. Student research on this project has been funded by the M.J. McElroy Foundation, Dr. Michael Osterholm, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Luther Gateway Prairie Reconstruction. In 2005, Luther planted a former field in the flood plain of the Upper Iowa River to tallgrass prairie with financial support from the Iowa DOT Living Roadway Trust Fund (the major donor)l Iowa DNR, Pheasants Forever, Luther College, and several donors. Since that time, we have been studying ground beetles and butterflies as the prairie becomes established, and are monitoring the effects of flooding and fire in this prairie on these insect and the newly planted native plant communities. Student research on this project has been funded by Luther College and the U.S. EPA.

Selected Publications (* indicates undergraduate coauthors)

Larsen, K.J. & F.F. Purrington. 2009. New state distribution records of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) from Iowa and South Dakota. Entomological News. “in press”.

Larsen, K.J. & H. Willis. 2008. Range extension into South Dakota for Cicindela pulchra (Coleoptera: Carabidae). Coleopterists Bulletin 62(4): 480.

Moya-Raygoza, G. & K.J. Larsen. 2008. Positive effects of shade and shelter construction by ants on a leafhopper-ant mutualism. Environmental Entomology 37(6): 1471–1476.

Moya-Raygoza, G., K.J. Larsen and A. Rauk*. 2005. Geographic and seasonal variation in size and color of adult corn leafhoppers (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) from Mexico. Environmental Entomology  34(6):1388–1394.

Gandhi, K.J.K., D.W. Gilmore, G.E. Ball, R.W. Holzenthal, S.A. Katovich, J.J. Koehle, K.J. Larsen, W.J. Mattson, and S.J. Seybold. 2005. A review of ground beetle species (Coleoptera: Carabidae) of Minnesota, USA: new records and range extensions. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington  107(4): 917–940.

Moya-Raygoza, G., J. Kathirithamby and K.J. Larsen. 2004. Dry season parasitoids of the corn leafhopper, Dalbulus maidis (Homoptera: Cicadellidae), on irrigated maize in Mexico. Canadian Entomologist 136: 119–127.

Larsen, K.J. and T.W. Work. 2003. Differences in ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) of original and reconstructed tallgrass prairies in northeastern Iowa, USA, and impact of three-year spring burn cycles. Journal of Insect Conservation 7(3): 153–166.

Larsen, K.J., T.W. Work, and F.F. Purrington. 2003. Habitat use patterns by ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) of northeastern Iowa. Pedobiologia 47: 288–299.

Larsen, K.J. & J.A.*Bovee. 2002. Changes in the butterflies (Lepidoptera) of Winneshiek County, Iowa after 90 years. Great Lakes Entomologist  34(1): 43–54.

Purrington, F.F., D.K. Young, K.J. Larsen, & J.C.T. Lee. 2002. New distribution records for ground beetles in the western Great Lakes region (Coleoptera: Carabidae). Great Lakes Entomologist 33: 199–204.

Moya-Raygoza, G. & K.J. Larsen. 2001. Temporal resource switching by ants between honeydew produced by the fivespotted gama grass leafhopper (Dalbulus quinquenotatus) and nectar produced by plants with extrafloral nectaries.  American Midland Naturalist  146(2): 311–320.

Larsen, K.J., L.M. *Staehle & E.J. *Dotseth. 2001. Tending ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) regulate Dalbulus quinquenotatus (Homoptera: Cicadellidae) population dynamics. Environmental Entomology 30(4): 757–762.

Larsen, K.J. & J.B.*Williams. 1999. Influence of fire and trapping effort on ground beetles in a reconstructed tallgrass prairie. Prairie Naturalist  31 (2): 77–88.

*Coyle, D.R & K.J. Larsen. 1998. Carrion beetles (Coleoptera: Silphidae) of Northeastern Iowa: a comparison of baits for sampling.  Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science 105(4): 161–164.

Purrington, F.F. & K.J. Larsen. 1997. Records of thirteen ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) new to Iowa. Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science  104(2): 50–51.