Primary tabs
I am currently undertaking an MPhil in the Kilner Group under Prof. Rebecca Kilner, working with the charismatic Nicrophorus genus of burying beetles. These carrion-feeding insects are of interest to us due to their possession of an unusual life history. Adult individuals seek out and then mate upon carcasses of small vertebrates, such as rodents or birds, before burying it and laying their eggs in the soil nearby. The dead body becomes an edible nest for the larvae, after they hatch. Both parents are heavily involved in care of the offspring both before and after hatching: the carcass is shaved and covered in anti-microbial exudate prior to burial and the parents continue to provide protection and food to the larvae once they have hatched. This complex behavioural adaptation of care coupled with their short generation time make Nicrophorus beetles fascinating models for investigating the interaction between evolution and behaviour.
In my project, I am primarily investigating variability in the head sizes of Nicrophorus vespilloides, a wide-spread burying beetle species found across much of Europe. Jack Smith, a PhD student in the lab, has recently discovered that N. vespilloides is sexually dimorphic in head size, with males typically possessing far larger heads compared to females. Interestingly, the extent of this dimorphism varies across populations. Thus, my research is concerned with determining both how this dimorphism develops and what factors may contribute to its significant variability, such as parental care or sibling competition. To achieve this, I have been combining live rearing experiments with measurements of museum specimens.
Pursuing these research interests has only been possible thanks to the impressive resources available to me in the Zoology Department and at the University more broadly. In the labs I am able to maintain a colony of several hundred N. vespilloides individuals at any one time, while in the Zoology Museum I have access to a staggering variety of specimens gathered over many years. Furthermore, the University as a whole provides me entry to countless training workshops and seminars, allowing me to improve my statistical skills and expand my understanding of any topic I may be interested in. Outside of academic considerations, I also appreciate the strong sense of community found in Zoology – weekly happy hours, wellness walks, PhD talks and seminars all help to make students feel welcome among the vibrant and diverse groups of the department.
Jordan Johnson, Kilner Group (April 2023)
I am currently doing an MPhil in the Insect Biomechanics Group under Prof. Walter Federle. The group’s research focusses on how animals function mechanically and how they are adapted to survive in their environment. Areas of study include locomotion, design and function of attachment systems, as well as the biomechanics and ecology of insect-plant interactions. We use insects, both young and adult, and plants from diverse groups. Apart from field work, which has been done mainly in tropical Southeast Asia, our group’s experimental methods and techniques include force measurements at different scales, morphometry, centrifugation, interference, confocal and electron microscopy, high-speed 3D motion analysis and 3D printing.
In my project, I am studying how bush crickets use different parts of their tarsal attachment pads when walking in different orientations, as they have been observed to have slightly different pad structures compared to other groups of insects. I am thus trying to find out if the different structure also functions in a similar way.
I decided to join as a master's student after an undergraduate degree in Natural Sciences and Part II Zoology. I first learnt about Walter’s research during my second year, at a talk organised by a science society of a college. Realising that biomechanics was a great way to merge two of my passions – physics and biology, I decided to do a Part II project mentored by Walter, which further kindled my curiosity in that field. It is fascinating to learn about how organisms function by applying physical principles and finding out how these may be adapted to improve technology. Nature is our best teacher and there is so much potential in the field of biomimetics.
As a student in Cambridge, one of the most remarkable things is the people we get to interact with. The diversity of backgrounds and specialisations never fails to open my mind to new ideas and possibilities. The passionate people that surround me influence and motivate me to keep discovering and also humble me to realise how little we know compared to the vast expanse out there waiting to be uncovered.
Jing Yi Bu, Insect Biomechanics Group (April 2023)