Thermal responses of overwintering insect eggs under natural and experimental temperature regimes

Suitable for:

MBO / HBO / Msc, at least 3 months.

Starting date

any time, but preferably between May - July

General Background

Insects are one of the most important and diverse groups that contribute to the conservation of our terrestrial ecosystems. Of the 1,500,000 animal species described worldwide, three quarters are insects. In the context of climate change, insects are increasingly exposed to altered winter temperature regimes. Insects that overwinter as eggs are particularly vulnerable to these changes because of increasing temperatures during one of their most sensitive stages. Previous studies on insects that overwinter as eggs mostly focus on individual model species, but it is not known whether these findings can be generalized to other orders of insects. 

Project outline

In my PhD project, I investigate how embryonic development of 12 insect species (Heteroptera, Lepidoptera, Orthoptera) responds to temperature variation under natural and experimental conditions to assess the potential for evolutionary responses to changing winter temperatures. I aim to uncover the mechanism underlying developmental responses to temperature. A key objective is to identify the mechanisms determining the seasonal timing of egg development. When are eggs most sensitive to changes in temperature? Does temperature sensitivity depend on development stage and/or egg age? What is the effect of cold spells on development rate? Are these responses conserved across orders?

Students interested in contributing to this project have the possibility to gain hands-on experience in field sampling of overwintering insects (May – Sep), including branch beating, light trapping, specimen collection, and egg sampling across multiple species. This also includes assisting in the maintenance of experimental insect cultures under semi-field conditions. Experiments measuring egg responses to natural and experimental temperatures take place from Autumn to the next Spring (Sep - April).

The project offers hand-on experience in experimental ecology, insect rearing, and climate change research.

Methods

Summer field work, insect rearing, temperature experiments, lab work