Climate change and pesticides: molecular and physiological processes underpinning pollinator responses to stress.
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Birmingham
Department Name: Sch of Biosciences
Abstract
In the last decades, unusual rates of pollinator losses have been recorded all over the world, threatening both food security and biodiversity.
A primary driver of pollinator decline at temperate latitudes is climate change. In combination, bees are exposed to increasing quantities and different cocktails of pesticides. Unfortunately, we currently have a very poor understanding of how pesticide exposure might influence insect responses to climate change or other environmental stressors.
Recently, omic-technologies have been employed to enhance the understanding of molecular processes involved in organism responses to a variety of environmental stressors however few studies have considered how multiple stressors interact. This project will employ state-of-the-art physiological and molecular techniques to investigate how a key UK pollinator, Bombus terrestris, responds to combined stress events, and the impact on survival/tolerance thresholds.
A primary driver of pollinator decline at temperate latitudes is climate change. In combination, bees are exposed to increasing quantities and different cocktails of pesticides. Unfortunately, we currently have a very poor understanding of how pesticide exposure might influence insect responses to climate change or other environmental stressors.
Recently, omic-technologies have been employed to enhance the understanding of molecular processes involved in organism responses to a variety of environmental stressors however few studies have considered how multiple stressors interact. This project will employ state-of-the-art physiological and molecular techniques to investigate how a key UK pollinator, Bombus terrestris, responds to combined stress events, and the impact on survival/tolerance thresholds.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
Scott Hayward (Primary Supervisor) | |
Giulia Bellisai (Student) |
Studentship Projects
Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
BB/M01116X/1 | 30/09/2015 | 31/03/2024 | |||
2097734 | Studentship | BB/M01116X/1 | 30/09/2018 | 29/09/2022 | Giulia Bellisai |