Application Date: 14 April 2017
The Bio-Protection Research Centre, Lincoln University, New Zealand is
inviting applications for a PhD studentship to examine fundamental
aspects of insect vision in several pest insects in order to develop
visually more attractive trapping systems.
This is an exciting opportunity for a student to contribute to the
understanding of insect vision with the aim of translating this
knowledge to improve monitoring and control of several important
phytophagous pest insects such as Western flower thrips (Frankliniella
occidentalis), Onion thrips (Thrips tabaci) and bugs in the Miridae and
Pentatomidae family. The work is of national and international
significance for agricultural production of pesticide free food. The PhD
studentship is a collaborative project between New Zealand, the
Netherlands and Sweden and the successful candidate should be willing to
work for substantial time in both Europe and New Zealand.
The successful candidate will investigate the anatomical composition of
the insects’ eyes and collect information on colour sensitivity of the
different ommatidia to model the potential vision of the insect. The
acquired information will be used to develop visual attractive objects
that will be tested and adopted further for optimal attraction of the
target insects in behavioural assays (lab and field). The visually
attractive objects will be integrated with olfactory stimuli and
optimised for attraction. The fundamental understanding of insect vision
and olfactory stimuli in decision making of insects may lead to new
designs of trapping systems for better monitoring and new control
options such as mass-trapping and lure & kill. Background
Although visual ecology of insects has been studied from the early
1950’s, there has not been a thorough understanding of the visual
decision making processes in phytophagous insects so far. There is a
lack of knowledge in how insects integrate visual and chemical stimuli
when trying to find suitable host plants, and the available information
has not led to significant improvements of traditional trapping systems
for pest insects (e.g. sticky traps, water traps, funnel traps).
Phytophagous insects respond positively to colour patterns related to
plants and plant parts (e.g. flowers and fruit) with the goal of
identifying suitable food plants and/or places for mating and
reproduction. Odours may be perceived by the insect from a distance and
used as a guide to where visual information becomes available. From this
point on, however, it often remains unclear if and how chemical and
visual stimuli interact in leading the insect to the target source.
Aspects such as flight, target approach, landing and searching on the
target plant, are different processes in decision making that may be
influenced by different stimuli. This project will study agriculturally
important pests such as thrips, the European tarnished plant bug and the
brown marmorated stink bug by integrating established knowledge on
their behaviour towards olfactory stimuli with newly generated knowledge
on visual orientation. Ultimately, the aim is to increase our
fundamental knowledge of how phytophagous insects respond to plant
stimuli to improve the efficiency of traps which may lead to new options
for sustainable pest management and border biosecurity.
The research will be undertaken jointly with the Bio-Protection Research
Centre, New Zealand, Plant & Food Research, New Zealand, Wageningen
University and Research (WUR), the Netherlands, who have extensive
experience in plant-insect interactions (chemical ecology and
biocontrol), and researchers at Lund University, Sweden, who are
investigating fundamental aspects of vision in animals and insects. We
offer
The three-year scholarship provides a stipend of NZ$ 28,000 a year
tax-free, and also covers university fees. The successful candidate will
be based at Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand. Besides their
own research, they will attend courses and workshops in relevant
transferable skills like scientific writing and project management as
well as participate in our biennial Bio-Protection Research Centre
symposium, weekly seminar series and group meetings. Each PhD student
receives individual supervision and mentoring and is guided in her/his
research work by a PhD advisory committee. Qualifications
Applicants for this project should hold a first class or high 2A honours
degree, or equivalent, in a relevant area, preferably with interest in
visual and chemical ecology. Applicant’s should also hold a full
driver’s licence. The position is open to applicants of any nationality,
provided they fulfil Lincoln University’s English language
requirements, can obtain a student visa, and are eligible for admission
to the PhD programme. To apply
Applications should include:
evidence of qualifications and research experience a curriculum
vitae and contact details of two academic referees a cover letter that
states why the candidate is interested in the position and how their
qualifications would map onto the proposed research.
Please email applications to Dr Michael Rostás michael.rostas@lincoln.ac.nz The closing date for applications is 14 April 2017.