Rosemarie De Clerck-Floate, Ph.D.

Research Scientist - Weed Biological Control

Research on:

- Biological control of weeds

- Plant-insect interactions

- Insect and plant ecology

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

5403 1st Avenue South, Lethbridge, Alberta

Current research and/or projects

Effects of soil moisture and nitrogen (climate change) on efficacy of weed biological control
Development of release strategies for predictable establishment and impact of weed biocontrol agents
Development of methods for biocontrol agent mass-production
Assessment of biological control safety and efficacy via studies of insect-plant ecological and evolutionary associations, insect and plant behaviour, insect impact on plant individuals and populations

Research and/or project statements

Biological control is a valuable tool in the mitigation of agricultural and environmental impacts from pest threats such as weeds. When effective, the strategy provides a sustainable, long-term and low-cost solution to pest management, especially in areas where chemical control may be unfeasible for economic and/or environmental reasons (e.g., weed control on native rangelands). Canada is seen as a world leader in the discovery, development and safe use of biological control agents for weeds, and since the AAFC program’s initiation in 1951, has produced several notable successes. Our program partners with regional governments, industry (cattle producers), academia, and international experts (e.g. CABI) in the assessment, release, and knowledge development for new biocontrol agents against emerging weed problems in Canada.

Professional activities / interests

Adjunct Professor, University of British Columbia - Okanagan
Adjunct Professor, University of Lethbridge
President, Entomological Society of Canada (2013)
Member, AAFC National Containment, Biosafety and Biosecurity Committee
Member, AAFC Biological Control Working Group
Student training
Science and art collaborations

Education and awards

Ph.D. (Botany/Entomology) – Northern Arizona University
M.Sc. (Biology) - University of Saskatchewan
B.Sc. (Biology) – Laurentian University
Federal Government 5-NR Science Award for Leaders in Sustainable Development (with R. Bourchier )for Weed Biocontrol Research 2001

International experience and/or work

Scientific Advisor – International weed biological control projects (e.g. toadflax, houndstongue, hawkweeds).
Transfer of Work (weed biological control)– CSIRO Brisbane, Australia (2004 – 2005)

Key publications

Moffat, C.E., R. Bourchier, R. De Clerck-Floate, P. Mason, D. Ensing. 2021. How do we know biocontrol agents are safe? An overview of past successes and future opportunities for biological control of weeds in British Columbia. I2021 Integrated Vegetation Management Association (IVMA) biennial forum “Everything" in Vegetation Management. Nov 2 - 4, 2021. Invited.
2021 - View publication details
Ensing, D.J., R. Bourchier, R. De Clerck-Floate, V. Miller, S. Turner, C. Moffat. 2021. 30 years of biological control of invasive spotted knapweed in British Columbia. ISCBC Invasive Species Research Conference (virtual), 06-07 October 2021.
2021 - View publication details
Moffat, C.E., R. Bourchier, R. De Clerck-Floate, P. Mason, D. Ensing. 2021. Case studies in biocontrol research in British Columbia: Identifying new targets to post-release monitoring. ISCBC Invasive Species Research Conference (virtual), 06-07 October 2021.
2021 - View publication details
Ensing, DJ, R Bourchier, R De Clerck-Floate, V Miller, S Turner, C Moffat. 2021. 30 years of biological control of invasive spotted knapweed in British Columbia. ISCBC Invasive Species Research Conference, Virtual, 06-07 October 2021.
2021 - View publication details
Moffat, C.E., R.S. Bourchier, R.A. De Clerck-Floate, and D.J. Ensing. 2021. New Research on Old Weeds:
An Update on Biological Control Programs In BC. Thompson Nicola Invasive Plant Management Committee (virtual). 23 February, 2021. Invited.
2021 - View publication details
Moffat, C.E., R.S. Bourchier, R.A. De Clerck-Floate, P.G. Mason, and D.J. Ensing. 2021. How do we know biocontrol agents are safe? An overview of the Canadian research and regulatory process for new biocontrol agents. British Columbia Invasive Species Council. Invasives 2021 Conference (virtual). 9 Februrary, 2021.
2021 - View publication details
Ensing, D.J., R. Bourchier, R. De Clerck-Floate, T.D. Nelson, V. Miller, S. Turner, C.E. Moffat. 2020. Classical biological control leads to long term declines in the rangeland invasive spotted knapweed. Entomological Society of America (virtual), 16-19 November, 2020.
2020 - View publication details
Ensing, D.J., T.D. Nelson, R. Bourchier, R. De Clerck-Floate, V. Miller, S. Turner, C.E. Moffat. 2020. Contemporary ecology of historical weed biological control programs: Re-evaluating spotted knapweed biocontrol in BC. Entomological Society of British Columbia (virtual), 26-28 October, 2020.
2020 - View publication details
Andreas, P., Kisiala, A., Neil Emery, R.J., De Clerck-Floate, R., Tooker, J.F., Price, P.W., Miller, D.G., Chen, M.S., Connor, E.F. (2020). Cytokinins are abundant and widespread among insect species. Plants, [online] 9(2), http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/plants9020208
2020 - View publication details
De Clerck-Floate, R. 2019. Weevils from Serbia show promise in yellow toadflax biological control in Canada. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. Catalogue No. A22-631/2019E-PDF, ISBN No.978-0-660-32854-6, AAFC No. 12990E. 4 pp.
2019 - View publication details
Bagavathiannan M., S. Graham, Z. Ma, J.N. Barney, S. Coutts, A.L. Caicedo, R. De Clerck-Floate, N. West, L. Blank, A. Metcalf, M. Lacoste, C. Moreno, J. Evans, I. Burke and H. Beckie. 2019. Considering weed management as a social dilemma bridges individual and collective interests. Nature Plants 5 (4), 343–351.
2019 - View publication details
Floate, K.D. and R. De Clerck-Floate. 2018. A possible case of gall wasp speciation induced by endosymbiotic bacteria. Joint Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of Canada / Entomological Society of America / Entomological Society of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, November 11-14 [oral presentation]
2018 - View publication details
De Clerck-Floate, R.A. and K.D. Floate. 2018. Bacterial symbionts as potential drivers of biotype formation within the hawkweed gall wasp Aulacidea pilosellae. XV International Symposium on Biological Control of Weeds. Engelberg, Switzerland, 26-31 August
2018 - View publication details
Toševski, I., Sing, S.E., De Clerck-Floate, R., McClay, A., Weaver, D.K., Schwarzländer, M., Krstić, O., Jović, J., Gassmann, A. (2018). Twenty-five years after: post-introduction association of Mecinus janthinus s.l. with invasive host toadflaxes Linaria vulgaris and Linaria dalmatica in North America. Annals of Applied Biology, [online] 173(1), 16-34. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/aab.12430
2018 - View publication details
De Clerck-Floate, R.A. and K.D. Floate. 2018. A possible case of gall wasp speciation induced by endosymbiotic bacteria. 7th International Symposium on Cecidology. Huisun Experimental Forest Station, Nantou County, Taiwan, March 3-8 [oral presentation]
2018 - View publication details
De Clerck-Floate, R.A., and K.D. Floate. 2017. Evidence for Wolbachia-induced speciation in a gall-forming wasp. Joint Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of Canada / Entomological Society of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, October 22-25 [oral presentation]
2017 - View publication details
De Clerck-Floate, R.A., and K.D. Floate. 2017. Evidence for Wolbachia-induced speciation in a gall-forming wasp. 65th Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of Alberta, Crowsnest Pass, Alberta, Canada, September 28-30 [oral presentation]
2017 - View publication details
Mason PG, De Clerck-Floate RA, Gallant B, Gillespie DR, Floate K, Bourchier R, Douglas H, Vincent C, Boivin G (2017) Guide for the Importation and Release of Arthropod Biological Control Agents in Canada. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada A42-122/2017E.
2017 - View publication details
Catton, H.A., Lalonde, R.G., and De Clerck-Floate, R.A. (2015). "Nontarget herbivory by a weed biocontrol insect is limited to spillover, reducing the chance of population-level impacts.", Ecological Applications, 25(2), pp. 517-530. doi : 10.1890/14-0250.1
2015 - View publication details
Moffat, C.E., Ensing, D.J., Gaskin, J.F., De Clerck-Floate, R.A., Pither, J. (2015). Morphology delimits more species than molecular genetic clusters of invasive Pilosella. American Journal of Botany, [online] 102(7), 1145-1159. http://dx.doi.org/10.3732/ajb.1400466
2015 - View publication details