Taste preference in nicotine-exposed flies
Rebecca Tarvin, Professor
Integrative Biology, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology
Applications for Spring 2025 are closed for this project.
Evolutionary transitions underlying phenotypic change are difficult to study because they often occur over millions of years. However, the fruit fly has a short generation time and a small genome that is well annotated and cheap to sequence. We used a large-scale experimental evolution approach to evolve toxin-sequestering fruit flies with a combination of nicotine exposure and parasitism as selective agents. Evolutionary changes in the fruit fly genome, transcriptome, and physiology will generate a model of how chemical defense arises that will inform other studies in poison frogs and other organisms. We are recruiting students who can help us maintain breeding stocks and to phenotype fly lines that were generated in this experiment.
Role: Undergraduate students are being recruited to help run experimental assays on taste preference in fruit flies. The student will run proboscis extension response experiments to measure preference for nicotine, day-to-day husbandry of fly and wasp strains, and general lab maintenance. This opportunity will provide students with training in evolutionary biology, experimental design, fly husbandry, and the execution of behavioral assays. Students will also have access to professional development opportunities, including attending weekly lab meetings with the Tarvin lab and Museum of Vertebrate Zoology community events (e.g. seminars, weekly coffee hour, Herp Group). The overall expected outcome is the development of scientific skills to prepare for a career in science.
Qualifications: Qualifications: Competitive applicants will have several or all of the following qualities: excellent organization and communication skills, ability to work independently, aptitude for creative problem-solving, attention to detail, enthusiasm for basic lab tasks, a positive attitude, interest in evolutionary biology and/or genetics, responsible approach to work (showing up consistently, on time, and letting lab know when absent). Experience working with flies is helpful but not necessary.
Day-to-day supervisor for this project: Sophie Draper, Staff Researcher
Hours: 6-8 hrs
Related website: https://tarvinlab.org/research
Biological & Health Sciences