PhD on "Fruit Fly Behaviour" 
Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia

A PhD opportunity exists on a project investigating ecological and sexual performance of Queensland fruit fly (Bactrocera tryoni; Tephritidae) (‘Q-fly’). Supervision will be by Dr Polychronis Rempoulakis and Prof Phil Taylor of Macquarie University’s Department of Biological Sciences (http://bio.mq.edu.au/) and Dr. Solomon Balagawi of New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (Manager of Q-fly mass-rearing facilities at the Elizabeth Macarthur Agriculture Institute, Menangle, NSW) (http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/). 

Q-fly is Australia’s most damaging insect pest of horticultural crops. In Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), millions of sterile male flies are mass-reared and released to disrupt reproduction of wild populations by inducing reproductive failure. Knowledge of local behaviour is important for predicting both how wild populations disperse and distribute, and also for predicting how dispersal and distribution of sterile flies corresponds with that of their wild counterparts. Specifically, this project will investigate the behavioural responses of wild type and mass-reared Q-flies to ambient environmental factors such as light, wind, temperature, humidity, food sources, predators and conspecifics. Outcomes will contribute to ecologically informed management of this major insect pest both by enabling more targeted releases of sterile flies and also by developing an understanding of domestication-induced changes in how Q-flies respond to their local environment. 

Financial Support: This project is part of a $20.5 million multi-institution ’SIT Plus’ collaboration that aims to develop a detailed understanding of Q-fly biology as a foundation for effective, environmentally benign and sustainable management practises to combat this major pest, and especially to develop the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT).

Contact Person: Dr Polychronis Rempoulakis, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Deadline:Expressions of interest close at midnight on Friday 15 January 2016 

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