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Video Q&A ViewAttendees 1

Physiology, Biochemistry, and Toxicology

Section Symposium

A Functional Genomics Approach to Insect Overwintering and Cold Tolerance On-Demand Presentations

The genetics and physiology of spruce budworm overwintering

On-Demand
On-Demand

    Presenting Author(s)

  • Karin van der Burg

    Postdoctoral Fellow
    University of British Columbia
    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

    • Co-author(s)

  • Amanda D. Roe, BCE

    Research Scientist
    Natural Resources Canada
    Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, CAN

  • Katie Marshall

    Assistant Professor
    University of British Columbia
    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

    • Co-Author(s)

  • Karin van der Burg

    Postdoctoral Fellow
    University of British Columbia
    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Diapause is a complex phenotype that allows insects to survive harsh winters. Entering diapause requires profound reorganization of physiology that must be coordinated across multiple levels of biological organization. I will study how gene regulatory mechanisms work to induce the genetic and physiological changes necessary to induce diapause, and how these mechanisms evolve. To achieve this, I will use a major pest species; Choristoneura fumiferana, or the eastern spruce budworm, as a model organism. This species is responsible for devastating ecological damage and industrial loss, and most damage will occur right after diapause. Population variation for the diapause program also exists, where diapause is obligatory in most larvae, but a small (3%) percentage of non-diapausing spruce budworm persists in the population. An optional 4th instar larvae also exists. Here, we present ongoing efforts to understand C. fumiferana overwintering physiology and the genetic basis of variation in cold resistance.