Microbial determinants of behaviour in herbivorous beetles (SALEM_J26DTP)

Many animals rely on beneficial microbes for nutrition, defence, or reproduction. In this project, the student will explore an exciting new dimension of these relationships: how microbes influence animal behaviour. The study system will be tortoise beetles, which carry an obligate bacterium that digests complex plant material for its host. Our preliminary research shows that beetle larvae without this bacterium behave very differently from their symbiotic relatives, dispersing rather than forming protective feeding groups.

This project will investigate how the presence or absence of the symbiont changes larval behaviour, the chemical and nutritional mechanisms behind these changes, and the potential consequences for survival when facing natural predators. The work will combine hypothesis-driven experiments in the laboratory with annual fieldwork in Panama, in collaboration with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, to place these findings in a real-world ecological context.

The student will gain a broad skill set, including behavioural tracking, microbial manipulation, chemical analysis (GC-MS), molecular biology, and statistical modelling. They will also receive training in transferable skills such as scientific communication, project management, and public engagement.

From the outset, the student will be encouraged to take ownership of the project, shaping experimental design, developing new approaches, and driving the research with increasing independence. By integrating laboratory, analytical, and field-based methods, the student will play an active role in defining the research direction and will have opportunities to present their work at international conferences and engage with a global network of collaborators. This is an opportunity to join an inclusive, collaborative, and internationally connected research environment, working on a conceptually novel project with relevance to ecology, evolution, and sustainable agriculture.