Very happy to announce that our paper on larval antibiosis in Brassica napus is now available!!! Unfortunately, a screen of diverse lines did not find reproducible resistance but this may change the way we look at larval studies in the field.
scijournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
Big thanks to @oilseedrachel.bsky.social for her support throughout. This work was carried out during my time at @johninnescentre.bsky.social and includes a co-author supported by @rsb.org.uk's Plant Health Undergraduate Studentship programme.
@aph-isp.bsky.social @bric-isp.bsky.social
For anyone interested in using our methodology, the full protocol is available on Zenodo: doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
Three first-instar cabbage stem flea beetle larvae on the stem of a Brassica rapa R-o-18 plant.
First-instar cabbage stem flea beetle larva on the midrib of an Arabidopsis plant.
Larval screening is also possible in two model relatives (Brassica rapa R-o-18 and Arabidopsis Ws-0), providing genomic tools to explore cabbage stem flea beetle larval resistance.
Cabbage stem flea beetle recovered from Sinapis alba (left) and Brassica napus (right). Larvae developed faster and had higher survival in Brassica napus.
While this was disappointing, we found consistently low larval survival and reduced development in white mustard (Sinapis alba), an oilseed rape relative that hasn't undergone such extensive domestication.
Out now in Pest Management Science:
We screened a diverse oilseed rape (Brassica napus) population against cabbage stem flea beetle larvae and found...
🥁🥁🥁🥁
...no evidence for reduced larval survival or development across B. napus genotypes.
doi.org/10.1002/ps.7...
Exciting Plant Health Undergraduate Studentships on offer this summer, including one with our very own Dr Wells @oilseedrachel.bsky.social on feeding preference and larval resistance to cabbage stem flea beetle, sponsored by Defra! 🌿🪲
Excellent undergraduate opportunity via the RSB sponsored by Defra for this summer! Come join team flea beetle for 10 weeks to work on larval feeding behaviour and transcriptomics.
my.rsb.org.uk/services.php...
Open postdoc position in my lab at Cornell, conducting comparative and experimental studies on transcriptomic responses to diet and toxins, utilizing the milkweed-insect community. Background in molecular bio & herbivory desired. academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/31867
VACANCY - We’re searching for a Postdoctoral Researcher to join the newly appointed group of Dr @hassansalem.bsky.social, to explore the developmental biology of host-microbe symbiosis
www.jic.ac.uk/vacancies/po...
Deadline - 25 March 2026
Salary - £37,500 - £45,350
Contract - 3 years, full-time
🐜 4-year #postdoc position in the @socialfluids.bsky.social lab @camzoology.bsky.social investigating metabolic cooperation between bodies in a BBSRC-funded project.
www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/postdoc...
#ants #socialtransfers #sociallytransferredmaterials #autophagy #socialinsects #aging #job (🧵1/n)
New opportunity to join our #EvoMPMI group @johninnescentre.bsky.social as a Postdoctoral Researcher working on the mechanistic basis of immunity in diverse plants. Please spread the word, reach out by email, and/or apply if interested! More details here: www.jic.ac.uk/vacancies/po...
🚨 Tenure-track professorship at Goethe University of Frankfurt, Germany, with a focus on evolutionary ecology of social hymenoptera 🐝🐜
Initially for 6 years:
www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/pr...
Medfly
UEA campus
Please share 📢
We have a Postdoc position available here @uniofeastanglia.bsky.social to develop innovative genetic control strategies for insect agricultural pests in collaboration with @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social
vacancies.uea.ac.uk/vacancies/19...
POSTDOC ALERT🚨
Two exciting social evolution postdoc positions live today!
We're looking for two excellent field biologists. Join us to explore the evolution of sociality in wasps across Africa. Apply by 11th January.
Collaboration with
@dustinrubenstein.com
@bristolbiosci.bsky.social
Thrilled to announce a Postdoc opportunity in our group on the evolutionary genetics and ecology of colour. Wonderful system, great collaborators, and room to shape your own ideas.
Apply by 7 Jan: jobs.helsinki.fi/job/13477181...
Join Prof. Sundar Tiwari for a fascinating session exploring how #insects shape #agriculture, livelihoods and ecosystems in #Nepal, from the species that support communities to those that challenge them.
📅 Nov 25 · 12:15 PM GMT
🎟️ Free registration 🔽
buff.ly/NCpAIAa
#Entomology #Conservation
Fig 3. Conceptual representation of pre- and post-herbivory resistance in plants. Plant non-host resistance to herbivorous insects can be understood as a two-stage phenomenon comprising pre- and post-herbivory resistance. In pre-herbivory resistance, the plant employs visual and olfactory signals to halt insects from making physical contact with a potential host. This includes the emission of repellent volatiles, the display of warning pigments on plant organs (aposematic colours), and modification of leaf shape and size. Additionally, certain plant traits promote association with insect natural enemies (tritrophic interaction). In post-herbivory resistance, the plants utilize mechanosensory or gustatory traits to hinder the ability of insect larvae to traverse, injure, and digest the plant material. This includes the production of surface waxes, glandular and non-glandular trichomes, proteins that counteract the function of insect digestive proteins, and toxic metabolites.
🪲 SPECIAL ISSUE REVIEW 🪲
Non-host resistance is the most common, durable, and efficient outcome of plant defences against biotic stresses. This review highlights its role in plant–insect interactions- Pinheiro et al. 📝
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/jxb/...
#PlantScience 🧪
I wrote (ranted) on experimental design as I was frustrated as an editor at how little guidance students were getting. I underestimated the interest in the issue: it has been downloaded 10,000+ times! Clearly it’s something we need to be talking about more. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
We’re pleased to announce two new vacancies for senior roles at our institute:
Group Leader in Discovery Plant Sciences: www.jic.ac.uk/vacancies/gr...
🗓️ Closes 25 August
Independent Fellowship in Plant-Associated Microbial Interactions: www.jic.ac.uk/vacancies/in...
🗓️ Closes 5 September
GROUP LEADER VACANCY
JIC is recruiting a Group Leader in Discovery Plant Sciences.
If you think your research would synergise and thrive at JIC, please apply.
www.jic.ac.uk/vacancies/gr...
Undergraduates – would you like to experience the exciting world of plant science research, tackle a key science challenge, and be paid for it? Then apply for one of our Plant Health Undergraduate Studentships!
Find out more: www.rsb.org.uk/get-involved/grants/plant-health-ug-studentships
Three cabbage stem flea beetle larvae on the base of an oilseed rape plant.
Studentship opportunity! Come join us to work on plant-insect interactions at @johninnescentre.bsky.social (supported by @rsb.org.uk). More details here: ryanebrock.github.io/opportunities/