Document Type
Honors Project
Publication Date
6-5-2024
Abstract
Biocontrol with parasitoid wasps can be an effective and sustainable component of fruit fly pest management. However, there are still many challenges and limitations with this method, including the possibility of fly hosts evolving increased defense mechanisms in response to higher levels of parasitism. While many defense strategies in flies have been identified, the role of the cuticle has largely been ignored. Using Drosophila melanogaster as a model species, I investigated the capacity of the cuticle to play an active role in defense, how this change was induced, and the role of the cuticle-related gene TwdlF. I found evidence to suggest that D. melanogaster larvae developed thicker and stiffer cuticles after olfactory detection of parasitoid wasps. This defense strategy has not yet been described in flies and could have implications in the effectiveness of crop pest biocontrol with parasitoids.
Level of Honors
summa cum laude
Department
Biology
Advisor
Shaun Davis
Recommended Citation
Hairston, Laken, "Exposure to Parasitoid Wasps Induces Thicker and Stiffer Cuticle in Flies" (2024). Lawrence University Honors Projects. 192.
https://lux.lawrence.edu/luhp/192