Project title:

Hitch-hiking in a changing environment: Understanding effects of microclimate change on animal-mediated dispersal behavior

Mentor/Co-mentor name (s):

Laura Segura Hernández; Sabrina Amador
Email: seguralm@si.edu

Location of internship. Will mentor be at this location?

Most of the internship will occur at Gamboa, with some visits to Barro Colorado Island and Tupper, Panamá. The mentor(s) will be at these locations.

Project summary

Climate change is a worldwide phenomena that can impact all ecosystems.  Yet, to understand the extent of its impact, we need to measure how these global changes translate into biologically relevant scales (i.e. microclimates). Understanding microclimatic changes will be particularly informative for small bodied ectotherms, whose thermoregulation is highly dependent on their surrounding environment and that represent the vast majority of animal species. One thermoregulatory strategy used by small ectotherms is moving towards microclimates that better match their requirements. Phoresy – a “hitch-hiking” behavior in which an organism with limited mobility, attaches to a more mobile host in order to disperse – is thought to have evolved to match a similar need: abandon locations that become unfavorable. Although phoresy is a taxonomically widespread behavior that can potentially aid an organism cope with climate change, the mechanisms that trigger it are poorly understood. Therefore, the goal of this project consists of identifying if and how the abiotic factors (such as temperature and humidity) and biotic factors (host-related cues) that trigger phoresy, by studying multiple pseudoscorpion species. 

Mentorship goals

The intern(s) involved in this project will get hands-on experience in field and laboratory portions of the project. In the field, we will use different collecting techniques to trap live arthropods, set up and monitor field measuring equipment, and perform field behavioral observations. In the lab, there will be opportunities to help collect physiological and/or behavioral data related to different parts of the project, as well as support the development of protocols regarding the maintenance of different animals in the lab. The intern will be also part of the Laboratory of Animal Behavior, which consists of a collaboration between the labs of three Staff Scientists (Sabrina Amador, Willian Wcislo and Rachel Page), which provides lots of opportunities to learn about behavioral research done with different animal species. The intern will be involved in the whole scientific process, from data collection to publication.

Intern’s role, time commitment and expected products

Data collection in the lab and in the field; protocol development for field and laboratory observations; running behavioral and/or physiological trials; measuring specimens; analyzing recordings, lab maintenance of live arthropods.

Hours are flexible, with at least 2 free days a week. This project will require some days full of field work, and some field work at night every other week or so. Some lab experiments require a strict time schedule, but it will be only a few days, not the whole internship, and we can schedule so that it works for everyone.  It is expected that the data collected during the internship will be presented at conferences and will be used for publication.

What are the regularly held occasions for group discussions, attendance at lectures, career counseling, and other educational and experiential opportunities for your interns?

The intern will be able to attend and/or participate in Tupper seminars, Behavior Discussion Group, Bambi seminars, lab meetings and other academic gatherings. Additionally, we will be involved in outreach public events, and if interested, the intern can help in the development of outreach material related to the project.

List of suggested readings

Bartlow, A. W. & Agosta, S. J. Phoresy in animals: review and synthesis of a common but understudied mode of dispersal. Biol. Rev. 96, 223–246 (2021).
Janzen, D. H. Why Mountain Passes are Higher in the Tropics. Am. Nat. 101, 233–249 (1967).
Liu, S. et al. Seasonal phoresy as an overwintering strategy of a phytophagous mite. Sci. Rep. 6, 25483 (2016).
Pincebourde, S. & Suppo, C. The Vulnerability of Tropical Ectotherms to Warming Is Modulated by the Microclimatic Heterogeneity. Integr. Comp. Biol. 56, 85–97 (2016).
Woods, H. A., Dillon, M. E. & Pincebourde, S. The roles of microclimatic diversity and of behavior in mediating the responses of ectotherms to climate change. J. Therm. Biol. 54, 86–97 (2015).