Take our PhD
survey for the
chance of
winning a
£50* Amazon
Voucher! Take Survey
* or equivalent in Euros or US Dollars
×
University of Southampton Featured PhD Courses

University of Manchester Featured PhD Courses
University of Oxford Featured PhD Courses
University of Reading Featured PhD Courses
University College London Featured PhD Courses

PhD Research Project

This project is no longer listed in the FindAPhD database
and may not be available.


Do bacterial symbionts alter the dynamics of insect communities?

Institution:
Dept/School/Faculty:
PhD Supervisor:
Application Deadline:
No more applications being accepted
Funding Availability:
Competition Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)

Many insects carry bacterial symbionts that are typically passed on from mother to offspring. These bacteria have major effects on their hosts: obligate symbionts usually provide nutritional benefits, while facultative symbionts have been shown to confer advantages that are beneficial in certain ecological circumstances. For example, facultative symbionts can increase the aphids’ resistance to natural enemies or heat shock, or alter a number of life-history traits. Many of the insects harbouring symbionts are agricultural pests or vectors of diseases and it is therefore important to understand these hidden players in insect communities.

These bacteria have been well studied in aphids, where phenotypic effects are fairly well understood, but it is far less clear how important these effects on ecologically important traits in an ecological community. It is likely that the symbionts do not only affect the dynamics of the host population, but also that of the natural enemies and other organisms that the host interacts with.

This project will investigate the wider ecological consequences of ecologically-relevant facultative symbionts in aphids and consider the community context. The student will have the opportunity to develop this project according to his/her interests.

Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 2008 Results


Unit of Assessment: Biological Sciences What is the RAE?
FTE Category A Staff Submitted 4* 3* 2* 1* U/C
57.51 25% 35% 30% 10% 0%





More Info



Institution Location




Related PhDs


 
University of Leeds
Department of Applied Mathematics


Find A PhD

Copyright ©2011
All rights reserved

The Science Registry Ltd, Sellers Wheel, 151 Arundel Street, Sheffield, S1 2NU, United Kingdom. Tel +44 (0) 114 268 4940 Fax: +44 (0) 114 268 5766