Prepared for climate change? Temperature-dependent behaviour in flies

Organisms living at different latitudes will be differentially affected by climate change. We will test the effect of rising temperatures and higher concentrations of greenhouse gases on olfactory detection and communication in three drosophilid flies that have adapted to life in desert, global and arctic climates. The species we aim to include are Drosophila novamexicana, D. virilis, D. ezoana. To do this we will use both laboratory and field bioassays combined with gas chromatography-linked electrophysiology. The aim is to map the olfactory-based ecology and the olfactory systems of these fly species and consequently to expose them to different factors involved in climate change i.e. increased temperatures and levels of CO₂, NO_X and ozone. The working hypothesis is that species living in colder climates are more sensitive to Anthropocene-driven changes in climate.

Postdoctoral Researcher: Dr. Steve Baleba (MPI-CE)

Supervision: Dr. Bill S. Hansson (MPI-CE), Dr. Marcus Stensmyr (LU), Dr. Markus Knaden (MPI.CE).