PhD in Biology

Are you a highly motivated and curious PhD candidate with a strong interest in insect–plant interactions to investigate the evolution of glucosinolate detection in cabbage white butterflies ( spp.)? Do you want to explore how these butterflies recognize and adapt to their host plants, and to contribute to cutting-edge research at the intersection of evolutionary biology and sensory ecology? Then we have at Wageningen University & Research an exciting opportunity for you.\nIn this PhD project, you would unravel the function of butterfly taste receptor neurons by determining to which plant compounds they respond and what role they play during the coevolution of butterflies and their host plants, using a novel molecular approach. Insects and plants are intertwined in an intimate coevolutionary arms race in which plants produce toxic defence compounds and insect herbivores in turn evolved specific detoxification mechanisms. In parallel to these feeding adaptations, insects also evolved specific detection mechanisms for those plants to which they have become adapted, to select suitable plants for feeding or for laying their eggs.\nWe will use the model system of the cabbage white butterflies, . These insects lay their eggs almost exclusively on plants containing glucosinolates, toxic compounds to which these insects have specifically adapted. We will create mutant butterflies lacking the most relevant candidate receptor genes using Crispr/Cas9, to unravel the role of different receptors and taste neurons during host-plant recognition. Through these comparisons we will not only gain information about the compounds these receptors detect, but also on their ecological and evolutionary relevance. In addition, we will express the candidate receptor genes in a cell-based assay to test their responses. Combined, these results will provide a unique insight into the sensory mechanisms underlying the coevolution of insect and plants, which is a major driving factor of biodiversity and has shaped many of today’s terrestrial (agro-) ecosystems.\nAs a PhD candidate, you will contribute to fundamental research in the context of insect-plant coevolution. You will be embedded in a diverse group of international scientists and collaborate with colleagues from both in- and outside Wageningen University & Research.