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Anna leads the entomological component of FR’s Monitoring and Advisory remit. Anna’s team of diagnosticians answer enquires that come from members of the public through TreeAlert, while screening them for insects potentially new to GB – especially those of forestry concern. The team processes samples from interceptions at GB ports and other quarantine samples such as those related to the Ips typographus outbreak. The team works on routine monitoring surveillance to maintain the UK’s pest free area status for several invertebrates of forestry concern, including pine wood nematode. She also provides expert advice to the public and stakeholders such as Defra and the Forestry Commission about forest insect ID and biology, as well as forest insect surveillance monitoring. Her responsibilities include:

  • Entomology Diagnostics – Work programme lead
  • Detection Dogs for forest pest surveillance (Ips) – Programme lead
  • Assessing the feasibility and safety of a novel Oak Processionary Moth control method – Programme lead
  • Oak Processionary Moth Population Genetics – Co-investigator
  • Baselining biocontrol data for Oak Processionary Moth – Co-investigator
  • Development of novel molecular methods for field-based and lab-based detection of Ips typographus (Co-investigator)

 

Previous to starting work at Forest Research in January 2023, Anna studied at Imperial College London and the University of Cambridge, and worked for almost 10 years in the Plant Health team at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). During her time at the RHS, Anna worked in their entomology diagnostic service and was biosecurity lead for RHS Flower Shows. In addition to the Entomology Advisory & Monitoring remit, in her time since joining FR, Anna has also spent time covering the Entomology Response Manager role, giving her insight into the operational response work of FR.

Affiliations

  • Member of the Royal Entomological Society

Anna Platoni

BSc, MSc, PhD
Entomology Advisory & Monitoring Manager
Tree health

Forest Research

Alice Holt Lodge

Farnham

Surrey

GU10 4LH

UK

Peer reviewed journal articles

Salisbury, A. Al-Beidh, S., Armitage, J., Bird, S., Bostock, H., Platoni, A., Tatchell, M., Thompson, K. & Perry J. (2020) Enhancing gardens as habitats for soil-surface-active invertebrates: should we plant native or exotic species? Biodiversity and Conservation 29: 129–151 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-019-01874-w

Platoni, A., Bird, S., Waghorn, I., Perry, J., Collier R. & Clover, G. (2019) Using physical barriers to prevent carrot fly (Psila rosae (Fabricius)) damage in domestic production. Journal of Applied Entomology 143: 1089-1085 https://doi.org/10.1111/jen.12686

Salisbury, A. Al-Beidh, S., Armitage, J., Bird, S., Bostock, H., Platoni, A., Tatchell, M., Thompson, K. & Perry J. (2017) Enhancing gardens as habitats for plant-associated invertebrates: should we plant native or exotic species? Biodiversity and Conservation 26: 2657–2673 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-017-1377-x

Salisbury, A. & Platoni, A. (2013). The green dock beetle, Gastrophysa viridula (De Geer) (Chrysomelidae) – a pest on Begonia (Begoniaceae), a new host record. The Coleopterist 22: 124.