Immunity Commons^™

Thermal Biology Of Insect Immunity And Host-Microbe Interactions, Laura V. Ferguson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The influence of temperature on interactions with pathogenic or symbiotic microbes is a driving force behind the survival of insects under climate change. However, we know little of how insects physiologically respond to these pressures. In temperate climates, winter dominates the thermal landscape; thus, I am particularly interested in how cold interacts with insect responses to microbes. Here I explore the thermal biology of the insect immune system and the impacts of cold on host-microbe interactions. First, I demonstrate that acute exposure to cold activates selective components of immunity in Drosophila melanogaster, as a compensatory response to trade-offs or …