Animal-microbe symbioses in pest insects

Sequencing technologies have fueled a rapid rise in descriptions of microbial communities associated with hosts, but what is often harder to ascertain is the evolutionary significance of these symbioses. In recent research we found that mixed modes of microbial transmission play an underappreciated role in the establishment of animal host-microbe relationships. The goal of this project is to test this idea empirically and thus define fundamental rules governing such associations.

The student will use the Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly, Ceratitis capitata) and its putative stable gut symbiont Klebsiella oxytoca. This represents a powerful system in which the composition of the symbiotic microbiome can be experimentally manipulated in multiple ways. The student will apply a combination of metagenomics, transmission studies, forward genetics and modelling, to test the mechanisms which promote host-symbiont associations.

The project has aims to (i) test the transmission mechanisms that facilitate gut colonisation by symbionts, (ii) determine the extent of, and mechanisms underlying, host fitness benefits, and (iii) conduct genome-wide screens to identify essential genes of symbiotic bacteria required for colonisation and mutualism in medfly.

The student will train at the interface of molecular genetics, genomics and mathematical theory, to test fundamental concepts of symbioses. They will gain key insights into the development and application of transferrable technologies via collaboration with colleagues across institutions (UEA and University of York). They will also receive excellent training and career development from the thriving Norwich Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership