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About Us
Research Ranch Advisory Team

Dr. Sandy DeBano: I grew up in southern California and Arizona. I received my B.S. (1990) and M.S. (1992) in zoology from Arizona State University, where I worked with John Alcock on research related to animal behavior and sexual selection in insects. I received my Ph.D. in entomology at the University of Kentucky with Allen Moore (1997). I conducted my dissertation field research at the Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch, examining the effect of livestock grazing on invertebrate communities in general, and the rainbow grasshopper (Dactylotum variegatum) in particular.

After completing my Ph.D., I served as assistant professor and chair of environmental science at Trinity College in Washington, D.C. In 2001, I accepted a position as assistant professor at Oregon State University. My current research focuses on the roles that terrestrial invertebrates play in linking riparian areas with adjacent streams and uplands, especially in arid and semi-arid lands. Current research interests include examining the effect of various aspects of riparian condition on the abundance, diversity, and community composition of terrestrial invertebrates, and how these effects are translated through food webs involving fish and wildlife in adjacent streams and terrestrial uplands. I am also interested in how riparian condition affects the density of pest and beneficial invertebrates in agricultural lands next to riparian areas. My other active research projects include examining the impacts of livestock grazing and exotic
plant species invasions on invertebrate communities and grassland food webs.