Thesis subject
Diversification of flight kinematics and morphology in Dipteran insects
The diversity of flying insects suggests that countless combinations of flight morphologies and behaviors have evolved with specific lifestyles. The evolutionary forces driving this extreme diversification in wing kinematics and morphology, and the functional merits and limitations of the different flight systems remain however poorly understood.
This project addresses insect flight diversification by focusing on one of the largest insect order: Diptera (flies, mosquitoes and relatives). The overall project goal is to extend our knowledge of the morphology/flight kinematics diversity in insects, and to disentangle the evolutionary forces (i.e., phylogenetic history versus selective processes) underlying the diversification of Dipteran flyers.
In this project, you can quantify the variation in wing morphology and/or in the flight kinematics between Diptera species. Morphological investigations imply making use of microscope photography, processing/analyzing photos and performing geometric morphometrics (landmark-based) analyses. You can also use high-speed stereoscopic videography system to quantify insect flight kinematics. Because this project is at the interface between evolutionary biology and biomechanics, you will not only learn how to quantify insect flight, but also get familiar with evolutionary concepts, and learn how to perform phylogenetic analyses to identify evolutionary processes underpinning insect flight evolution.
The skills you will be using/learning are:
- Taking/processing wing morphology measurements
- Performing geometric morphometrics analyses
- Performing phylogenetically informed comparative analyses
- Building experimental design
- Making high-speed video recordings
- Quantifying flight trajectories and/or wingbeat kinematics
- Performing statistical analyses
- Increase your scientific writing/presenting skills
Are you interested? Please contact via ezo.thesis@wur.nl.