Droevendaalsesteeg 10
6708 PB Wageningen
The Netherlands
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About
Insects are beautiful and vital for our ecosystem. Im interested in their ecology and evolution and how we can use this knowledge to improve sustainable agriculture and increase biodiversity
Biography
I have always been fascinated by insects. My research integrates fundamental and applied research to answer questions about species interactions and biological pest control.
In 2016 I started my PhD project at the University of Groningen where I investigated the potential of native natural enemies to adapt to exotic pest species and whether we can optimize natural enemies through selective breeding. In 2021 I became part of the "Smart Parasitoid" project where I investigate the behaviour and chemical ecology of parasitic wasps to understand how their foraging behaviour is influenced by their environment.
I like nature photography to capture the beauty and diversity of the nature around us https://www.behance.net/AstridKr
Research groups
Research Expertise
Behavioural ecology Biological control Biological invasions Entomology Host adaptation ParasitoidsCV
Employment
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2021–PresentPostdoctoral researcher, NIOO-KNAW
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2016–2021PhD, University of Groningen
Publications
Key publications
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Optimization of native biocontrol agents, with parasitoids of the invasive pest D. suzukii as an example
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Artificial selection for nonâreproductive host killing in a native parasitoid on the invasive pest, Drosophila suzukii
Projects & collaborations
Projects
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Smart natural enemies for sustainable pest control
Parasitoids are key natural enemies that contribute to biological control of economically important pests in both agricultural and natural ecosystems. They are however not always efficient in finding the pest insect in the greenhouse because the (mass-)rearing conditions differ from the greenhouse environment in which they are released. This reduces parasitoid motivation and efficiency to search for herbivore insect pests.