Kurtis Turnbull

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I received a BSc (Hons) in Neuroscience in 2015 from Dalhousie University, where I worked under the supervision of Dr. Shelley Adamo. My research projects examined how food-limitation and predation-risk influence immune function and energy availability in the cricket (Gryllus texensis) and tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta). The goal of this work was to understand how and why these stressors reconfigure the insect immune system. My projects in the Adamo lab were supported through NSERC USRAs held in 2014 and 2015.

 

I began MSc work under the supervision of Drs. Brent Sinclair and Jeremy McNeil in 2015 at the University of Western Ontario. Here Im exploring overwintering energetics of the western bean cutworm (Striacosta albicosta), a lepidopteran pest that has expanded its range into Ontario over the last decade. The factors contributing to this range expansion are unclear, but a changing climate may be impacting the overwintering survival of local populations. Currently, Im interested in understanding how autumn conditions influence the thermal sensitivity of metabolic rate in the cutworm prepupae. This work will explore the links between autumn temperatures, overwintering energy use and survival in this pest insect.

 

My project is based out of the Biology department at the University of Western Ontario and the Environmental Sciences Western Field Station, in Middlesex Centre, ON. Please dont hesitate to contact me if youd like to know more about I do.