Coby Schal

About

Coby Schal is the Blanton J. Whitmire Distinguished Professor at North Carolina State University. His research focuses on urban entomology, chemical ecology, insect behavior, and physiology. Schal's work involves studying semiochemicals such as pheromones, the evolution of moth communication systems, mosquito oviposition, glucose-aversion in cockroaches, and other collaborations in chemical ecology and behavior. His contributions include investigating molecular mechanisms in olfaction, allergens, disease transmission, juvenile hormone mediation of behavior, population genetics, and rDNA evolution. Schal is actively involved in mentoring students and researchers within the Schal Lab at NC State, contributing significantly to the understanding of insect communication and behavior in urban environments.

Research topics

• Biology
• Zoology
• Medicine
• Genetics
• Veterinary medicine
• Evolutionary biology
• Ecology
• Toxicology
• Botany

Selected publications

• Gene content evolution in the arthropods

  Genome biology · 2020 · 254 citations

  BACKGROUND: Arthropods comprise the largest and most diverse phylum on Earth and play vital roles in nearly every ecosystem. Their diversity stems in part from variations on a conserved body plan, resulting from and recorded in adaptive changes in the genome. Dissection of the genomic record of sequence change enables broad questions regarding genome evolution to be addressed, even across hyper-diverse taxa within arthropods. RESULTS: Using 76 whole genome sequences representing 21 orders spanni…

  DOI

• Social signals mediate oviposition site selection in Drosophila suzukii

  Scientific Reports · 2021 · 36 citations

  The information that female insects perceive and use during oviposition site selection is complex and varies by species and ecological niche. Even in relatively unexploited niches, females interact directly and indirectly with conspecifics at oviposition sites. These interactions can take the form of host marking and re-assessment of prior oviposition sites during the decision-making process. Considerable research has focused on the niche breadth and host preference of the polyphagous invasive p…

  DOI

• Solving the 250-year-old mystery of the origin and global spread of the German cockroach,<i>Blattella germanica</i>

  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 2024-05-20 · 23 citations

  articleOpen access

  The origin of the German cockroach, Blattella germanica , is enigmatic, in part because it is ubiquitous worldwide in human-built structures but absent from any natural habitats. The first historical records of this species are from ca. 250 years ago (ya) from central Europe (hence its name). However, recent research suggests that the center of diversity of the genus is Asian, where its closest relatives are found. To solve this paradox, we sampled genome-wide markers of 281 cockroaches from 17…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Systemic veterinary drugs for control of the common bed bug, Cimex lectularius, in poultry farms

  Parasites & Vectors · 2022 · 21 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  BACKGROUND: The common bed bug, Cimex lectularius L., is a hematophagous ectoparasite that was a common pest in poultry farms through the 1960s. Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and organophosphates eradicated most infestations, but concurrent with their global resurgence as human ectoparasites, infestations of bed bugs have been reappearing in poultry farms. Although the impact of bed bugs on chicken health has not been quantified, frequent biting and blood-feeding are expected to cause st…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Two sex pheromone receptors for sexual communication in the American cockroach

  Science China Life Sciences · 2024-03-22 · 10 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant R01HD021891

  NIH · $125k · 1990

• Neuronal Reorganization Underlies Evolution of Novel Adaptive Behavior

  NSF · $650k · 2016–2021

• Evolution of Mating Communication in Moths: Role of Male Courtship Pheromones

  NSF · $579k · 2015–2019

Frequent coauthors

• Richard G. Santangelo

  North Carolina State University

  76 shared

• Edward L. Vargo

  Texas A&M University

  64 shared

• Warren Booth

  Virginia Tech

  52 shared

• Francis X. Webster

  SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

  44 shared

• Satoshi Nojima

  Tokyo University of Agriculture

  44 shared

• Wendell L. Roelofs

  44 shared

• Ayako Wada‐Katsumata

  North Carolina State University

  34 shared

• Д. В. Муха

  Russian Academy of Sciences

  31 shared

Labs

• Schal LabPI

  Urban Entomology, Chemical Ecology, Insect Behavior & Physiology

Education

• Ph.D., Entomology

  North Carolina State University

  1996

• M.S., Entomology

  North Carolina State University

  1992

• B.S., Entomology

  University of California, Davis

  1989

Awards & honors

• J. Whitmire Distinguished Professor

Similar researchers at North Carolina State University

• Peter Balint-Kurtih-60
• Ignazio Carboneh-51
• Anna Whitfieldh-41