Scientific Activities
Pantone completed his doctoral research at UC Davis on the use of biological control agents which is a non-chemical means of controlling agricultural pests. Basically, he innovated an important new method of identifying effective biocontrol agents by developing new techniques of plant population biology and multivariate statistics (i.e. path analysis). Furthermore, he contributed to the science of the biological control of weeds by pioneering the use of nematodes as biocontrol agents).
In addition to using biological control agents as a non-chemical means of pest control, Pantone researched methods of no-till cropping systems and crop cultural techniques to reduce pesticides in surface runoff water. Moreover, he developed a pesticide transport submodel for the soil erosion model AGNPS (Agricultural NonPoint Source Pollution), which is one of the most important models used in soil conservation. The AGNPS submodel simulates pesticide transport and allows the evaluation of various soil conservation techniques to help reduce pesticides in the environment.
A significant contribution to botany and weed science was his discovery of a new biotype of common cocklebur (Xanthium strumarium) in Texas. This newly discovered plant variety is referred to as multiple-seeded cocklebur (MSC). MSC and has up to 25 seeds per fruit, usually producing as many as nine seedlings. Normal common cocklebur has only two seeds per fruit that usually produces only one seedling. Although MSC appears to have enhanced seed production, experiments show that MSC can be controlled with biological control agents and the herbicides more easily than normal common cocklebur.
Pantone served as a member of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service endangered species recovery team involving the biological conservation of one of the rarest plants in North America, Amsinckia grandiflora. In addition, he completed plant population biology field experiments that measured the reproduction and competitive ability of A. grandiflora in comparison to closely related weedy species in the same genus. Essentially, he used quantitative field experiments to help answer the question why some plants are rare, while others are weedy.
Another important scientific contribution was his work using methods of GIS to identify the habitat of an endangered plant species based solely on characteristics of its physical environment. Lane Mountain Milk Vetch (Astralagus jaegerianus) is an endangered plant species endemic to the Mojave Desert in California. Pantone innovated GIS methods to identify the habitat of this rare and endangered species based on elevation, slope, aspect and soil type.
In addition to his ecological and environmental research, Pantone has been involved in the preservation of human cultures, being the cofounder of an indigenous rights organization. Furthermore, he has independently filmed and produced five different documentary films on indigenous people of South America.
Presently, Pantone is the editor of the Amazon-Indians.org website and the Vice President of the Movement in the Amazon for Tribal Subsistence and Economic Sustainability (MATSES), a non-governmental organization that is providing aid to indigenous people in the Amazon so that they can preserve their culture and lands in a sustainable and independent manner.
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