Ms Luki-Marie Scheepers
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FABI |
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| Biosketch | |
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Research Profiles
My Supervisor/s
| Primary Supervisor | |
| Jeremy Allison | |
| Egmont Rohwer | |
| Bernard Slippers |
My Files
My Links
- Research Article: Pine Emperor moths from KwaZulu-Natal use the same pheromone component previously isolated from Nudaurelia cytherea (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) from the Western Cape
- Review article: Pheromones as management tools for non-Scolytinae Curculionidae: development and implementation considerations
I graduated with a Biochemistry degree in 2017 at the University of Pretoria, and completed my Honours in Chemistry in 2018 at the same institution. It was in this time that I was exposed to the world of chromatography and structural elucidation of plant-extracted compounds that brought me closer to separation and structure determining techniques in gaseous state. I am currently pursuing my PhD in Chemical Ecology.
My MSc research was aimed toward finding, or validating pheromones from insect-derived headspace samples, specifically for the Eucalyptus snout beetle, Gonipterus sp. 2 (Curculionidae), and the Pine Emperor moth, Nudaurelia clarki (Saturniidae). This was achieved with laboratory methods including GC- EAD (Gas Chromatography and Electroantennography), GC-MS and micro-derivatization techniques. The pheromone of N. clarki was previously identified from N. cytherea - a species known to occur in the Cape. Thus, my research was focused on validating the usability of the same pheromone for N. clarki in field trials.
I am currently pursuing a PhD in Chemical Ecology. This study will build on the foundational work from my MSc for the Gonipterus sp. 2 and N. clarki, and will broaden the focus to include the Wattle Bagworm, Kotochalia junodi (Psychidae). The aim of this study is to identify attraction pheromones for the new species, and to attempt to show the usability of these pheromone blends in field trials. The study aims to ultimately identify species-specific pheromone tools for integrative pest management tactics for the chosen pest species in South Africa.
My publications
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Publications |
Scheepers L., Allison J.D., Slippers B., Rohwer E.R., Mc Millan P.M., Bello J.E., Bouwer M.C. (2023). Pine Emperor moths from KwaZulu-Natal use the same pheromone component previously isolated from Nudaurelia cytherea (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) from the Western Cape. African Entomology 31: 1-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17159/2254-8854/2023/a13231 |
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Bouwer M.C., Scheepers L., Slippers B., Rohwer E.R., Allison J.D. (2021) The Sex Pheromone of the Pine Brown‑Tail Moth, Euproctis terminalis (Lepidoptera: Erebidae). Journal of Chemical Ecology 47: 1-8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-021-01301-x |
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Scheepers L., Allison J.D., Bouwer M.C, Rohwer E.R., Slippers B. (2020) Pheromones as management tools for non-Scolytinae Curculionidae: development and implementation considerations. Southern Forests: a Journal of Forest Science 82: 202-214. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2989/20702620.2020.1858204 |
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Ramabulana T., Scheepers L, Moodley T. Maharaj V.J., Stander A., Gama N., Ferreira D., Sonopo M.S. and Selepe M.A. (2020) Bioactive Lignans from Hypoestes aristata. Journal of Natural Products 83: 2483-2489. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jnatprod.0c00443 |
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Scheepers L., Slippers B., Bouwer M.C. and Rohwer E. (2019) Feromone van die denneboom Pou-oogmot (Pheromones of the Pine Emperor moth). Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif vir Natuurwetenskap en Tegnologie. DOI: https://doi.org/10.36303/SATNT.2019.38.1.783 |
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Scheepers L., Maharaj V. and Selepe M.A. “The identification and isolation of potential bioactive compounds from Hypoestes aristata by means of hyphenated modern instrumentation. (2018) Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif vir Natuurwetenskap en Tegnologie. Link |
Conferences
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Poster/ Oral presentations |
L. Scheepers, B. Slippers, E. R. Rohwer and J. D. Allison. “Sex pheromone of Nudaurelia spp. in South Africa (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae)” | Oral presentation | American Chemical Society (ACS) Annual Fall meeting | Early Career Symposium | Online | 13-17 Aug 2023 |
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L. Scheepers, B. Slippers, E. R. Rohwer and J. D. Allison. “A journey of pheromone discovery of the wattle bagworm” | Oral presentation | Suid-Afrikaanse Wetenskap en Kunste Studentesimposium (SAAWK) | Pretoria, South Africa | 3-4 November 2022 |
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L. Scheepers, B. Slippers, E. R. Rohwer, J. D. Allison, J. E. Bello and M. C. Bouwer. “The pheromone of the pine emperor moth, Nudaurelia clarki (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae)” | Oral presentation | IUFRO Working Party 7.03.16 Graduate Student Webinar Series| Online | 24 January 2022 |
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L. Scheepers, J. D. Allison, B. Slippers, E. R. Rohwer, P. M. Mc Millan, J. E. Bello and M. C. Bouwer. “The major pheromone component identity of the Pine Emperor moth, Nudaurelia clarki (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae), is confirmed” | Oral presentation | 36th Annual meeting of the International Society of Chemical Ecology (ISCE) Poster session 4 #49| Online | 5-10 September 2021 |
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L. Scheepers and Q. Guignard. “Research and Development of new attraction tools for insect pests at FABI” |Oral presentation| 32nd Annual meeting of the Tree Protection Co-Operative Programme (TPCP) and the DSI NRF Centre Of Excellence In Plant Health Biotechnology (CPHB) | 4 May 2021 |
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L. Scheepers, B. Slippers, E. R. Rohwer, J. D. Allison, J. E. Bello and M. C. Bouwer. “Pheromone field trapping of Nudaurelia clarki (Saturniidae) in South African pine plantations” | Oral presentation | Entomological Society of America (ESA) Annual meeting | Online | 11- 25 November 2020 |
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L. Scheepers, B. Slippers, M.C. Bouwer and E.R Rohwer. “Feromone van die denneboom Pou-oogmot” (“Pheromones of the Pine Emperor moth”) | Poster presentation | Suid-Afrikaanse Wetenskap en Kunste Studentesimposium (SAAWK) | Pretoria, South Africa | 25- 26 October 2018 |
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Scheepers L., Maharaj V. and Selepe M.A. “The identification and isolation of potential bioactive compounds from Hypoestes aristata by means of hyphenated modern instrumentation” | Poster presentation |Suid-Afrikaanse Wetenskap en Kunste Studentesimposium (SAAWK) | Pretoria, South Africa | 2-3 November 2017 |
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Awards |
One of three student finalists representing Africa | Oral presentation | IUFRO Working Party 7.03.16 Graduate Student Webinar Series| Online | 5 February 2022 |
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Second place in poster session | Poster presentation |Suid-Afrikaanse Wetenskap en Kunste Studentesimposium (SAAWK) | Pretoria, South Africa | 2-3 November 2017 |
Other Interests
Even though my graduate studies are focused on the Chemistry of insects, I have always loved biological systems in general. The finer detailed understanding of how biological systems work individually and on an integrated level gets me excited- especially when I can apply it in some way. Human cell biology also holds a special place in my heart, and I hope to encounter some research in this field in the future.
I have many interests other than academics, including competitive ballroom and latin dancing, hiking and playing the violin.
My Galeries
News
ABI welcomed Spring at the Institute's its annual Spring Day tea on 15 September.
Twenty four FABIans attended and presented at the recent 23rd Congress of the Entomological Society of Southern Africa.
The TPCP held its 34th Annual Meeting at the Future Africa conference centre, where staff, postdoctoral Fellows and students present their work to industry and government stakeholders as feedback on the work conducted in the past year.
FABIans took a break from their busy schedules to enjoy an Easter Tea in the courtyard on 5 April.
FABIans took a break from their research activities and dressed up to attend the annual Year End Function hosted at the Future Africa Campus on 18 November.
Luki-Marie Scheepers was one of 10 students from the University of Pretoria who participated in the annual SAAWK symposium
FABI hosted a visit by a group of 23 final year BSc in Agriculture (Plant Production and Horticulture) students from the University of Venda.
The 33rd annual meeting of TPCP and CPHB was held as an in-person meeting at Future Africa on the University of Pretoria’s Innovation Africa @UP Campus.
From 5-10 September, academic staff, postdoctoral fellows, and students from FABI attended the 36th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Chemical Ecology (ISCE).
Three FABIans set out to collect pupae of the wattle bagworm (Lepidoptera: Psychidae) and larvae of the pine emperor moth (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) near Greytown.
Ms Luki-Marie Scheepers, a PhD student in the Applied Chemical Ecology research group in FABI, presented her and her co-authors’ work on the Pine Emperor moth, Nudaurelia clarki, at the prestigious Entomological Society of America (ESA) annual meeting ‘Entomology 2020’. Annual conferences like these are usually highly anticipated collaboration and networking events and this year was no different despite it being hosted virtually. The online platform empowered a global audience, from 51 countries, to watch a total of 87 symposia divided into sections including systematics, medical science, ecosystems and physiology. The symposium content was full of variety, ranging from how bumblebees cope with self-created heat, how a fly evades your swat on a neural level and so much more. This conference illustrates the grit and innovation of researchers worldwide to continue networking, collaborating, innovating and working towards a finding answers for real-world problems despite a gripping global restriction on movement.
Professor Jeremy Allison (Extraordinary Professor in FABI at UP) joined Luki-Marie Scheepers, Josephine Queffelec, Elisa Pal and Quentin Guignard on a field trip to Underberg, near the Drakensberg from 2-4 March.
My Journal Articles
| Publication |
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| Luki-Marie Scheepers, Jeremy D. Allison, Bernard Slippers, Egmont R. Rohwer, Patrick M. Mc Millan, Jan E. Bello. (2023) Pine Emperor moths from KwaZulu-Natal use the same pheromone component previously isolated from Nudaurelia cytherea (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) from the Western Cape. African Entomology 31((2023)):1-9.
10.17159/2254-8854/2023/a13231 |
| Bouwer MC, Scheepers L, Slippers B, Rohwer ER, Allison JD. (2021) The Sex Pheromone of the Pine Brown-Tail Moth, Euproctis terminalis (Lepidoptera: Erebidae). Journal of Chemical Ecology 47(8)
10.1007/s10886-021-01301-x |
 Scheepers L, Allison JD, Bouwer MC, Rohwer ER, Slippers B. (2020) Pheromones as management tools for non-Scolytinae Curculionidae: development and implementation considerations. Southern Forests 82(3):202-214.
10.2989/20702620.2020.1858204  |