Award details

Adaptability of an insect herbivore the diamondback moth to changes in its nutritional environment

ReferenceS14519
Principal Investigator / Supervisor Professor Stephen Simpson
Co-Investigators /
Co-Supervisors
Dr Spencer Behmer, Dr David Raubenheimer
Institution University of Oxford
DepartmentZoology
Funding typeResearch
Value (£) 260,636
StatusCompleted
TypeResearch Grant
Start date 01/02/2001
End date 31/07/2004
Duration42 months

Abstract

Changes in the nutritional environment occasioned by climate change and plant breeding technology pose challenges to insect herbivores, but currently there is little information on the behavioural, physiological, and evolutionary adaptive responses of insect herbivores, including pest species, to such changes. We propose to use the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, a serious pest of crucifers world-wide, including Britain, to study such responses in the face of experimentally manipulated nutritional environments composed of synthetic foods and Arabidopsis mutants. We will also investigate the relationship between evolved larval nutritional adaptations and adult oviposition site preferences.

Summary

unavailable
Committee Closed Committee - Animal Sciences (AS)
Research TopicsX – not assigned to a current Research Topic
Research PriorityX – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative X - not in an Initiative
Funding SchemeX – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme
terms and conditions of use (opens in new window)
export PDF file