A5017641986- Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences
- Invertebrate Immune Response Mechanisms
- Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
- Plant and animal studies
- Insect-Plant Interactions and Control
- Insect and Pesticide Research
- Mosquito-borne diseases and control
- Insect Utilization and Effects
- Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research
- Parasite Biology and Host Interactions
- Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Insects and Parasite Interactions
- Insect Pheromone Research and Control
- Evaluation and Performance Assessment
Emory University
2010-2019
Queen Mary University of London
2013-2019
University of Sheffield
2010-2011
While many endosymbionts have beneficial effects on hosts under specific ecological conditions, there can also be associated costs. In order to maximize their own fitness, must facilitate symbiont persistence while preventing exploitation of resources, which may require tight regulation populations. As a host ages, the ability invest in such mechanisms lessen or traded off with demands other life history traits, as survival and reproduction. Using pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum, we measured...
Many organisms have intimate associations with beneficial microbes acquired from the environment. These host-symbiont can be specific and stable, but they are prone to lower partner specificity more partner-switching than vertically transmitted mutualisms. To investigate in an environmentally insect symbiosis, we used 16S rRNA gene multilocus sequencing survey bacterial population bacteria-harbouring organ (crypts) of 49 individuals across four sympatric broad-headed bug species (Alydus...
Abstract Environmental temperature has important effects on the physiology and life history of ectothermic animals, including investment in immune system infectious capacity pathogens. Numerous studies have examined individual components these complex systems, but little is known about how they integrate when animals are exposed to different temperatures. Here, we use Indian meal moth ( Plodia interpunctella ) understand disease resistance react potentially trade‐off with other life‐history...
Transgenerational effects, whereby the environment experienced by a parent leads to an altered offspring phenotype, have now been described in variety of taxa. In invertebrates, much research on these effects has concentrated role parental exposure pathogens or immune elicitors determining investment disease resistance. To date, however, studies transgenerational invertebrates generally restricted single infections ideal laboratory environments. Animals field situations will commonly...
Determining the factors governing investment in immunity is critical to understanding host-pathogen ecological and evolutionary dynamics. Studies often consider disease resistance context of life-history theory, with expectation that will be optimized anticipation risk. Immunity, however, constrained by context-dependent fitness costs. How costs vary across strategies has yet considered. Pea aphids are typically unwinged but produce winged offspring response high population densities...
Abstract Environmental stressors can be key drivers of phenotypes, including reproductive strategies and morphological traits. The response to stress may altered by the presence microbial associates. For example, in aphids, facultative (secondary) bacterial symbionts provide protection against natural enemies induced elevated temperatures. Furthermore, aphids exhibit phenotypic plasticity, producing winged (rather than wingless) progeny that better able escape danger, combination these...
Pea aphids have an obligate nutritional symbiosis with the bacteria Buchnera aphidicola and frequently also harbor one or more facultative symbionts. Aphids are susceptible to bacterial pathogen infections, it has been suggested that a limited immune response towards such infections compared other, well-studied insects. However, do possess at least some of genes known be involved in responses other insects, immune-competent hemocytes. One possibility is priming microbial elicitors could...
The impact of climate change on strongly age-structured populations is poorly understood, despite the central role temperature in determining developmental rates ectotherms. Here we examine effect warming and its interactions with resource availability population dynamics pyralid moth Plodia interpunctella, which normally show generation cycles, a consequence strong asymmetric age-related competition. Warming by 3°C above standard culture led to substantial changes density, age structure,...