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Nick Wybouw

@wybouw.bsky.social
230 followers 344 following 43 posts

Evolutionary geneticist working on endosymbiosis, herbivory, and reproductive isolation - Wybouw Lab @ Ghent University

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Reposted by Nick Wybouw
Evolutionary Biology Group, Adam Mickiewicz University @evobiolab.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
We are delighted to announce that Neelam Porwal (@neelamporwal.bsky.social) has received the ESEB Under-Represented ECR Achievement Award, recognising her scientific achievements and perseverance. Congratulations, Neelam, on this well-deserved honour! eseb.org/prizes-fundi... @eseb.bsky.social
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Laura Ross @laurarossevo.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Ever wondered why diverse organism shrink their genome in specific cells? We try to make sense of these curious cases of programmed DNA elimination in a review that came out today @naturerevgenet.bsky.social trebuchet.public.springernature.app/get_content/... @sandraduharcourt.bsky.social
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Thomas Lenormand @thomaslenormand.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
🚨Interested in #evolutionary #genomics and #popgen #theory? My lab just opened a 1+ year #postdoc position to work on sex chromosome dosage compensation. At #CEFE in beautiful Montpellier. Deadline soon, don't be shy, apply, theory is exciting! 👉 bit.ly/4eMWDIh
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Gerben Debruyn @gdebruyn.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
What makes this parrot look green? It's more than just a pigment! We found that the color comes from the interaction of pigments, nano- and even microstructures of the feather itself. @jessica-dobson.bsky.social @michaelnicolai.bsky.social @wybouw.bsky.social @lilianadalba.bsky.social.
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Nick Wybouw @wybouw.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
Well done, Emma!! It was a cool congress in sun-lit Montpellier
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European Drosophila Society @fly-eds.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
📣 📣 📣 📣 To all Drosophilists: the call for Workshop proposals at the 2027 European Drosophila Research Conference in Bonn (20-23 September 2027) is OPEN! Go to link below for instructions. Closing date: 30 September 2026. 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻 tinyurl.com/45y8trzd
The image is the logo of the 2027 European Drosophila Research Conference in Bonn, Germany: an adult male fly overlaid on a view of Bonn city.
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Michael Gerth @mgerth.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
New preprint from the lab, led by PhD student Leopold Preuß, with @marta-tischer.bsky.social, @cblei.bsky.social, and others. We show genomic evidence for #Wolbachia being an overlooked nutritional symbiont in solitary #bees. #SymbioSky tinyurl.com/3wzt27hy Short thread: (1/8)
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Dr. Wen-Juan Ma | 马文娟 @wenjuanma84.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Very happy to welcome @wybouw.bsky.social to our DBIO #Seminar series at @vubrussel.bsky.social🎉 He’ll speak on symbiont-mediated #cytoplasmicincompatibility, #Wolbachia, host genetics, mobile elements & pest control. 📅 Mon 15 June 🕑 14:00–15:00 📍 F.5.66 Looking forward to a great seminar! #VUB
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Luca Soldini @lucasoldini.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
How do alternative reproductive modes arise? In this @pnas.org paper, we show that hybridogenesis -where a haploid set of chromosomes is transmitted clonally across generations- acted as an intermediate step between sexual and asexual reproduction in stick insects. doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
doi.org
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
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Centre de Biologie pour la Gestion des Populations @cbgpmontpellier.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Soutenance d'HDR, Vendredi 22/05, 9h30 🔊 Génétique évolutive d’un insecte polyphage : impact des interactions insecte-symbiontes sur l’adaptation et la dynamique des populations Par #Nicolas_Rode @inrae-dpt-spe.bsky.social @cbgpmontpellier.bsky.social lien YT : www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7R5...
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Bob Kuhn @kuhnbobio.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Please check out our pre-print! It was a 3- year high school study. Partially crowd-funded by experiment.com It was a very fun study and I hope it contributes to Wolbachia research in some way. Help us amplify if you can! doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
doi.org
Heterogeneous associations between sex ratio distorters and mitochondrial haplotypes in U.S. populations of Armadillidium vulgare
Sex ratio distorters (SRDs) are heritable elements that bias offspring sex ratios to enhance their transmission. In the terrestrial isopod Armadillidium vulgare, feminization of genetic males can occu...
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Laura Ross @laurarossevo.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Did you know that many organisms delete parts of their genome during development? To know more please join us at the Roscoff meeting on "Mechanistic and Evolutionary Basis of Programmed DNA Elimination" Sep21- 25, 2026. Please share!
cjm.sb-roscoff.fr/en/conferenc...
cjm.sb-roscoff.fr
The mechanistic and evolutionary basis of programmed DNA elimination | CNRS - Conférences Jacques Monod (CJM)
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Asher HELLbein @asherelbein.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
This is wild: the authors find evidence for giant, macro-predatory octopuses in Late Cretaceous oceans that might max out at *62 feet long,* comfortably large enough to attack, kill and eat mosasaurs
science.org
Earliest octopuses were giant top predators in Cretaceous oceans
Top predators drive changes in ecosystem structure. For the last ~370 million years, large-sized vertebrates have dominated the apex of the marine food chain, while invertebrates have served as smalle...
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Enric Frago @enricfrago.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
Two new calls: FRB-Cesab 2026 synthesis call for proposals, which will support two general projects, and a thematic marine project #FRB-Cesab, #Motpellier r.info.fondationbiodiversite.fr/mk/mr/sh/1t6...
r.info.fondationbiodiversite.fr
FRB-CESAB | Opening of two calls for proposals
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European Commission @ec.europa.eu · 09/04/2026
Big opportunities for researchers 🌍 We are investing nearly €400 million to help researchers share their work and collaborate with the best scientific teams across the EU. The 2026 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships are now open. More: link.europa.eu/PNxpxw
Graphic announcing the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 call. It shows the opening date (9 April 2026), closing date (9 September 2026), and a budget of €399.05 million. The design features scientific visuals such as cells, a leaf, and lab elements on a dark background, with the European Commission logo at the bottom.
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Nick Wybouw @wybouw.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Our study on complex cryptic co-infections of Spiroplasma in European Myrmica ants is now published with @tparmentier.bsky.social @emmavanreempts.bsky.social @selfishmeme.bsky.social Tessa, Wouter and Diego doi.org/10.1111/mec.... .
doi.org
Spiroplasma Display an Intricate Continuum of Infection Heterogeneity and Persistence in Myrmica Ants
Many bacterial taxa evolved facultative symbiotic associations with insects and spread through host populations by horizontal and maternal transmission. Co-infection at the individual host level may ...
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Anurag Agrawal @anurag-asclepias.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Open postdoc position in my lab at Cornell, conducting comparative and experimental studies on transcriptomic responses to diet and toxins, utilizing the milkweed-insect community. Background in molecular bio & herbivory desired. academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/31867
academicjobsonline.org
Cornell University, CALS Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Job #AJO31867, WDR-00057721 Postdoctoral Associate, CALS Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, US
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Thomas Parmentier @tparmentier.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
We found that Rickia wasmannii, known from Myrmica workers, also infects queens, males, and larvae, with spillover to nest associates (incl. Lomechusa). doi.org/10.1007/s000... Complex dynamics in the ant microcosm --> more ant–fungus work coming @insectessociaux.bsky.social @dhaelewa.bsky.social
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katsuraito.bsky.social @katsuraito.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
Our paper is out! Trade‐offs in thermal response: Schizotetranychus brevisetosus winter eggs outperform summer eggs at low temperatures - Yamawaki - Physiological Entomology - Wiley Online Library resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Trade‐offs in thermal response: Schizotetranychus brevisetosus winter eggs outperform summer eggs at low temperatures
We investigated maternal effects in Schizotetranychus brevisetosus (Tetranychidae), where females oviposit summer and winter eggs in response to photoperiod on evergreen hosts. Developmental rates o...
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Hassan Salem @hassansalem.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
How specific are heritable symbioses? And what can we learn from swapping obligate symbionts across host species? We address this in our latest, led by @inespons.bsky.social & in our collaboration w/ @microbiome.bsky.social 🦠🪲 Out today in @natcomms.nature.com! 1/n www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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Aileen Berasategui @berasymbionts.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
Can plant pathogens boost vector fitness? Together with @hassansalem.bsky.social, we review how phytopathogens can spread further by moonlighting as insect symbionts 🪲 More on this nifty lifestyle in @annualreviews.bsky.social! www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
annualreviews.org
Plant Pathogens Moonlighting as Beneficial Insect Symbionts
Herbivorous insects can shape the epidemiology of disease in plants by vectoring numerous phytopathogens. While the consequences of infection are often well-characterized in the host plant, the extent...
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Journal of Evolutionary Biology @jevbio.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
Check out our latest Special Section guest edited by @mitopozzi.bsky.social and Sophie Breton: Beyond ATP: New insight into mitochondrial function and evolution 🎨 Cover image - artwork by Iain G Johnston academic.oup.com/jeb/pages/be...
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Nick Wybouw @wybouw.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
I had an excellent and inspiring time with the suzukii team at @cbgpmontpellier.bsky.social . Enjoyed presenting our ongoing @erc.europa.eu project to the SEEM Montpellier community!
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Hannes Schuler @schulhans.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
Three #postdoc positions available in my lab @unibz.bsky.social focusing on #genomics of #eriosoma #aphids #psyllids and #phytoplasma please repost
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Luca Soldini @lucasoldini.bsky.social · 27/10/2025
(1/9) Join us in Bern, Switzerland (8–11 Feb 2026) for our EMBO Workshop on Molecular Mechanisms of Selfish Elements and Strategies! Organized with Tanja Schwander, Laura Ross (@laurarossevo.bsky.social) and Axel Imhof. meetings.embo.org/event/26-sel... #EMBOselfishElements #EMBOevents
meetings.embo.org
Molecular mechanisms of selfish elements and strategies
Certain genes, chromosomes, organelles, or entire sets of chromosomes can bias their transmission to the next generation, propagating themselves at the expense of the rest of the genome. Referred to …
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Bob Kuhn @kuhnbobio.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
Last two days of our campaign. It's all or nothing, so help us if you can! experiment.com/citypillbugs
experiment.com
Urban Pillbug Project: Measuring Genetic Diversity of City Pillbugs and Their Symbionts
The pillbug Armadillidium vulgare is a common isopod generalist decomposer in most natural landscapes. Past European and US studies have looked at the genetic diversity and frequency of A. vulgare and...
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Ingrid Fetter-Pruneda, Ph.D. @ifetter.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
Thrilled to share the first full paper from @AntLabUNAM! 🐜💥 Our paper examines how queen and worker harvester ants differ in ovarian morphology and gene expression, shedding light on the ovary as a hub for multiple physiological systems, not just reproduction. Check it out! rdcu.be/ePNP8
rdcu.be
Age, caste, and social context shape ovarian morphology and transcriptomic profiles in red harvester ants
npj Aging - Age, caste, and social context shape ovarian morphology and transcriptomic profiles in red harvester ants
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DrosEU @droseu.bsky.social · 19/10/2025
We are in Bluesky and we are happy to share our two last consortium publications: the DrosEU expanded DEST dataset and a Continent-wide study of phenotypic differentiation among European #Drosophila melanogaster populations (1/7)
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Chantal Vogels @chantalvogels.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
📢New preprint on the impact of dengue virus genetic diversity on inhibition by Wolbachia 🦟🦠🧬 Project led by Afeez Sodeinde, @emiliefinch.bsky.social, and @keli5734.bsky.social! ✨ Key findings in thread below 👇 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
biorxiv.org
Heterogeneity in inhibition of genetically diverse dengue virus strains by Wolbachia
The release of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes transinfected with the virus-inhibiting Wolbachia bacterium has the potential to reduce the burden caused by dengue virus (DENV). However, the robustness of thi...
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Rita Rebollo @ritarebollo.bsky.social · 16/09/2025
Hi! We are looking for a PhD to work on the cross talk between transposable elements, insects and intracellular bacteria on the bioinformatics side. The PhD would be supervised by @mariefablet.bsky.social and myself along with @nicolasparisot.bsky.social Deadline December 2025! Please share! #tesky
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Jonathan Romiguier @selfishmeme.bsky.social · 15/09/2025
If you’ve heard about our study on ants producing two different species but are still confused about how it works (and don’t have time to read the paper), this 10-minute video made by @bengthomas.bsky.social is very informative: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-O4... Paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
youtube.com
The Ants That Broke Biology
YouTube video by 7 Days of Science
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Nature @nature.com · 03/09/2025
A common type of ant in Europe breaks a fundamental rule in biology: its queens can produce male offspring that are a whole different species go.nature.com/4mOb5T9
go.nature.com
‘Almost unimaginable’: these ants are different species but share a mother
Ant queens of one species clone ants of another to create hybrid workers that do their bidding.
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Emma Van Reempts @emmavanreempts.bsky.social · 22/08/2025
Had a blast presenting my work on Wolbachia and Spiroplasma-induced sex allocation distortion in haplodiploids at #ESEB2025!
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Vicencio Oostra @climate-adaptation.bsky.social · 23/08/2025
Goodbye #eseb2025 @eseb2025.bsky.social see you next time! Perhaps what stuck most was powerful talk on resilience and survival by Palestinian researcher, play director, and ESEB EUEA awardee May Shehady. Let's not forget, let's not look away. 🇵🇸
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Nick Wybouw @wybouw.bsky.social · 23/07/2025
This collaboration/friendship started while measuring the yield of wild strawberry plants in Spain and has now led to a first publication, dx.doi.org/10.1111/eva.... . We wanted to better understand how Wolbachia infection persists upon loss of CI in our favourite mite, Tetranychus urticae.
dx.doi.org
Reciprocal Host–Wolbachia Interactions Shape Infection Persistence Upon Loss of Cytoplasmic Incompatibility in Haplodiploids
Maternally transmitted symbionts such as Wolbachia spread within host populations by mediating reproductive phenotypes. Cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) is a reproductive phenotype that interferes wi...
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Michael Gerth @mgerth.bsky.social · 23/07/2025
Two fully funded #PhD positions on insect #Symbiosis available in our lab: Spiroplasma in Neotropical Arthropods (tinyurl.com/spiroplasma) & Psyllid symbionts (tinyurl.com/psyllids). Please contact me for any questions & share widely #symbiosky #academicjobs
tinyurl.com
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Royal Society Publishing @royalsocietypublishing.org · 19/07/2025
Insects usually care for their own young, but sometimes they also help other species. This #RSOS study found that yellow meadow #ants protect the eggs of root aphids in their nests during winter. Read more: royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/... @tparmentier.bsky.social @wybouw.bsky.social
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Thomas Parmentier @tparmentier.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
New paper with @wybouw.bsky.social on the protection of aphid eggs in ant nests: doi.org/10.1098/rsos... *black eggs --> Anoecia zirnitsi, host: Lasius flavus *eggs rapidly retrieved among ant brood and protected against predators and fungi *mediated by chemical cues, transferred to glass dummies
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Steven Van Belleghem @svbelleghem.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
Excited to advertise a shared PhD position at KU Leuven (Belgium) and Mondsee (Austria) with @markusmoest.bsky.social on the genetic basis, plasticity and evolution of melanization in Daphnia from alpine lakes. Apply here: www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jo...
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Evolution Letters @evolletters.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
Diverging Arabidopsis populations quickly accumulate pollen-acting genetic incompatibilities doi.org/10.1093/evle... Now in @evolletters.bsky.social by Christopher Condon et al.
doi.org
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RES Publications @respublications.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
Our newest #RESPhysEnt paper reveals plant silicon defence disrupts cryptic colouration in an insect herbivore by restricting carotenoid sequestration into the haemolymph Read the article🔽 doi.org/10.1111/phen.12492 @wybouw.bsky.social @tbuescher.bsky.social @tobybruce.bsky.social @wiley.com
Graphical abstract of: Plant silicon defence disrupts cryptic colouration in an insect herbivore by restricting carotenoid sequestration into the haemolymph
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Nick Wybouw @wybouw.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
A MSCA fellowship is a wonderful thing
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Nick Wybouw @wybouw.bsky.social · 27/04/2025
Wonderful opening talk on phasmid egg colouration by @gdebruyn.bsky.social at the yearly International Stick Insect Meeting.
Gerben presents his work on phasmid egg colouration.
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Nick Wybouw @wybouw.bsky.social · 14/04/2025
Always satisfying to see a new thriving Liriomyza lab population #leafminers
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Ryan Brock @ryanebrock.bsky.social · 14/04/2025
Studentship opportunity! Come join us to work on plant-insect interactions at @johninnescentre.bsky.social (supported by @rsb.org.uk). More details here: ryanebrock.github.io/opportunities/
Three cabbage stem flea beetle larvae on the base of an oilseed rape plant.
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Greg Hurst @greghurst.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
@haraipapilio.bsky.social paper on evolution of Wolbachia MK mechanism through prophage acquisition in molina butterflies - avoiding suppression by the host. Now out! #symbiosky www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti.... With @daisukekageyama.bsky.social @bolinabug.bsky.social and others
sciencedirect.com
Evolution of Wolbachia male-killing mechanism within a host species
Male-killing bacterial symbionts, prevalent in arthropods, skew population sex ratios by selectively killing male progeny, profoundly impacting ecolog…
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Royal Entomological Society @royentsoc.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
🐞 Spread the word! Registration and abstract submission are now open for our annual conference, #Ento25! Join the entomological community in-person or online this September, with opportunities to present your work, meet new contacts and build collaborations 🔽 buff.ly/tKyJIbN
Abstract submission and registration are now open for Ento25 - advertisement featuring a Violet Leaf Beetle (Chrysolina strumi), photo (c) Tyler Redford 2024
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Nick Wybouw @wybouw.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
Leafminers are the coolest
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RES Publications @respublications.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
Our newest research in #RESPhysEnt reveals species differences in reproductive timing and egg load in two #fly species adapted to different #HostPlants Read the article now🔽 buff.ly/jrFSup9 @wybouw.bsky.social @tbuescher.bsky.social @wiley.com
Graphical abstract of: Species differences in reproductive timing and egg load in two fly species adapted to different host plants
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RES Publications @respublications.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
‪The new March issue of #RESPhysEnt, Vol. 50 Issue 1, opens with an editorial: Key questions for future research in Physiological Entomology 👀doi/10.1111/phen.12481 If you’d like to submit an article on any of these key research areas, get in touch! @wybouw.bsky.social @tbuescher.bsky.social
Cover image of Physiological Entomology Vol 50 Issue 1
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