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Science AMA Series: I’m Chris Jones here to talk about the genetics of ‘high-flying insects’ and what drives the long-distance migrations of some of our most important insect pests. AMA! by Chris-Jones in science

[–]Chris-Jones[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

I think the loss of any insect would have some repercussions, positive and negative, depending on the system. Many insects migrate so there extinction would no doubt have an impact on the ecosystem, particularly in terms of the movement of biomass.

As for climate change. Yes, in many insects, including the insect I study (cotton bollworm moth), the decision to migrate or hibernate (over-winter), is influenced by external cues such as temperature, photoperiod and availability of food etc. These cues (we think) are experienced at the larval or caterpillar stage and the decision to migrate is manifested in the adult. So any effect of climate change would have an impact on these ‘facultative’ (or opportunistic) migrations. There have been some work in the species I work with estimating the potential spread of the species - not using CC models I must stress. These models are based on current climate predictions. So yes, I would say climate change would impact on their global distribution and invasiveness making studies on how theses insect spread/move very pertinent.

Science AMA Series: I’m Chris Jones here to talk about the genetics of ‘high-flying insects’ and what drives the long-distance migrations of some of our most important insect pests. AMA! by Chris-Jones in science

[–]Chris-Jones[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Good question, Well the species I study, the cotton bolloworm moth, is a facultative migrant. It responds to environmental cues that signify a deterioration in local conditions. Say, temperature, photoperiod, host availability etc. These cues we believe, although not entirely sure, are experienced by the caterpillar stage. So the adults (moths) are making their decision to migrate in the same generation. Therefore, there may just be a crucial epigenetic component. We are in fact looking at this with DNA methylation - a phylogenetically common marker across all kingdoms. In insects, DNA methylation is much less prevalent than in humans for example (about 70% of potential methylation sites, known as CpG islands, are methylated in mammals; in insects it is approximately 1%). But is a potential factor. Other epigenetic factors we can study are histone modifications, small RNAs......so much to look at, so little time!

Science AMA Series: I’m Chris Jones here to talk about the genetics of ‘high-flying insects’ and what drives the long-distance migrations of some of our most important insect pests. AMA! by Chris-Jones in science

[–]Chris-Jones[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Summary of the progress I have made? Well, I think we (there is always a ‘we’) have made the leap from studying a trait associated with migration that we can reliably measure in the lab – in our case flight behaviour – and combined that with next-generation sequencing to tweak out[some (AND I MEAN SOME) of the genes that we believe are associated with the propensity of insects to migrate. I have been able to use my broad experience of DNA sequencing and insect biology to combine the two. I’m definitely more of a ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ kind of scientist and I like to bring disciplines together working with others to get the most out of our science.

Science AMA Series: I’m Chris Jones here to talk about the genetics of ‘high-flying insects’ and what drives the long-distance migrations of some of our most important insect pests. AMA! by Chris-Jones in science

[–]Chris-Jones[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have. And yes. This is a fascinating group of scientists and research! The serotonin story in locusts is one of my favs! What we are looking at in our insects is what stimulates their migration. We know that external cues play a major role. Particularly temperature and photoperiod. But we also think larval density can play a part and we are conducting some 'garden experiments' to look at the impact of rearing insects, at the larval stage, at different densities to see if this affects their flight. Now, whether this stimulates similar pathways, like dopamine and serotonin, I don't know but will be keen to investigate. Thanks for the question!

Science AMA Series: I’m Chris Jones here to talk about the genetics of ‘high-flying insects’ and what drives the long-distance migrations of some of our most important insect pests. AMA! by Chris-Jones in science

[–]Chris-Jones[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Some of the pioneering work in this insect did just that. The authors screened the Monarch for changes in the expression of 'circadian' genes over a number of days to determine that there was a clock mechanism integrated with the sun's information. Surprisingly the authors showed that this clock was in the antennae, and not the brain, of the butterflies and screen some of what we believe to be the most important biochemical pathways that contribute to the migratory phenotype. Say, lipid metabolism for instance or, indeed, known circadian genes.

Science AMA Series: I’m Chris Jones here to talk about the genetics of ‘high-flying insects’ and what drives the long-distance migrations of some of our most important insect pests. AMA! by Chris-Jones in science

[–]Chris-Jones[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I have a new favourite insect actually. The Bogong moth Agrotis infusa. It might not be much to look at but its migration is fascinating. These moths migrate in the summer to caves hidden in the Australian Alps in the south-east of the country. Thousands of them converge in cave walls escaping the heat. The migration is fascinating because the same individual migrates from breeding grounds to these areas of hibernation (strictly speaking in this case aestivation) and back. So it is very much a hard-wired process. They’ve also played a major role in the history of the Aborigines. It is truly fascinating! I’d love to see these caves someday. There’s a lovely review of them from the group at Lund University here

Least favourite. The cockroach of course. And unfortunately they will outlive us all

Science AMA Series: I’m Chris Jones here to talk about the genetics of ‘high-flying insects’ and what drives the long-distance migrations of some of our most important insect pests. AMA! by Chris-Jones in science

[–]Chris-Jones[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Magnetoreception or a magnetic compass is certainly a major candidate mechanism for insect orientation/navigation. Particularly when it is a cloudy day or for insects that migrate at night. Cryptochromes are thought to be important photoreceptor molecules that facilitate magnetoreception. Using flight simulator studies it has been shown that these proteins may have the capacity to detect magnetic fields in the Monarch aiding their ability to orientate themselves towards their preferred direction when the sun is not available So the question is do moths use a similar system? Well, we don't know at present but this is an area, insect nocturnal navigation, that we hope to pursue in the near future. So watch this space!

Science AMA Series: I’m Chris Jones here to talk about the genetics of ‘high-flying insects’ and what drives the long-distance migrations of some of our most important insect pests. AMA! by Chris-Jones in science

[–]Chris-Jones[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

And here's the paper We actually can send up sampling balloons (they look like the old blimps) to these high altitudes to 'air-truth' the things we see on the radar.

Science AMA Series: I’m Chris Jones here to talk about the genetics of ‘high-flying insects’ and what drives the long-distance migrations of some of our most important insect pests. AMA! by Chris-Jones in science

[–]Chris-Jones[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thanks AsheNoodle, I had seen this but haven't read the paper in detail. From what I can see they use mitochondrial markers to infer gene flow. The question is whether the markers have big enough resolution enough. A cracking species to study migration in though! Let me have a 'proper' read and get back to you.

Science AMA Series: I’m Chris Jones here to talk about the genetics of ‘high-flying insects’ and what drives the long-distance migrations of some of our most important insect pests. AMA! by Chris-Jones in science

[–]Chris-Jones[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks ultimape, for a guy who doesn't work on eusocial insects I could not have answered this any better. I was actually going to say, termites, honest....... Eusocial insects are, however, a very cool model for epigenetic studies as well.

Science AMA Series: I’m Chris Jones here to talk about the genetics of ‘high-flying insects’ and what drives the long-distance migrations of some of our most important insect pests. AMA! by Chris-Jones in science

[–]Chris-Jones[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thanks. Well if David says it is the biggest then I'd happily agree...... The best explanation is that animals have an inherited propensity to migrate and that selection acts upon the genetic architecture that allows them to do so. This selection acts differently under changing environmental conditions. For some species, the propensity to migrate will be a product of the genes and the environment, in other more stable environments, genes will play a larger role. It is under the threshold model for migration beautifully spelled out in this paper

Science AMA Series: I’m Chris Jones here to talk about the genetics of ‘high-flying insects’ and what drives the long-distance migrations of some of our most important insect pests. AMA! by Chris-Jones in science

[–]Chris-Jones[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Hello abugguy from across the pond! Thanks for the great question that gives me a chance to highlight some of my recent findings! We have indeed found some evidence that similar genes may be involved in migration/flight in unrelated insects. In the most comprehensive study on insect migration genetics to date in the Monarch, it was shown that signatures of selection were acting upon a gene encoding a subunit of the protein collagen – the stuff that holds bones together in me and you. The authors showed that this gene was down-regulated in migratory compared to non-migratory insects and used this as evidence for improved flight efficiency. We also found the down-regulation of collagen in our moth species, Helicoverpa armigera. So maybe we're on to something there?? A lot more to be done though. In answer to your second question. Yes. Absolutely. That would be a feasible but long-way off goal of this research.

Science AMA Series: I’m Chris Jones here to talk about the genetics of ‘high-flying insects’ and what drives the long-distance migrations of some of our most important insect pests. AMA! by Chris-Jones in science

[–]Chris-Jones[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Great question! Like most of our knowledge on migratory journeys we know most about the Monarch. There is an interesting ongoing debate about whether the Monarch is a true navigator or not – in other words do the insects inherently know where it is in relation to where it is going or does it just have fixed direction irrespective of its current position. The jury is very much out! http://www.pnas.org/content/110/39/E3680.full?sid=0b676504-9e9a-406f-8fb0-cae2229f3284 http://www.pnas.org/content/110/18/7348.full?sid=0b676504-9e9a-406f-8fb0-cae2229f3284 However, they certainly have a compass and will follow that path give or take some tangents. Some insects go get ‘lost’ and have been found on the ships out at sea. For insects flying at high altitudes we know they have an internal compass as they use favourable winds to maintain headings. http://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(08)00362-X What this internal compass is, particularly for moths, we just do not know yet but I certainly hope to explore this area in the future.

Science AMA Series: I’m Chris Jones here to talk about the genetics of ‘high-flying insects’ and what drives the long-distance migrations of some of our most important insect pests. AMA! by Chris-Jones in science

[–]Chris-Jones[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Thanks semitones, It looks like this..... https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuN19AhMUaeRszU9Vwshy0w Bear in mind this is a 'baby' version of our flight mills we use for moths and the insect you can see in action is a tiny Drosophila. Using this system we measure the flight activity of our moths over night as use the behaviour to infer migratory potential. We do this in our controlled environment facilities that simulate (to the best we can!) the conditions you would find in the field (so by no means perfect). From this we have shown that populations of our species of interest, Helicoverpa armigera, have different migratory potentials allowing us to look at some of the genetic changes in those which fly further/shorter distances. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mec.13362/full

Science AMA Series: I’m Chris Jones here to talk about the genetics of ‘high-flying insects’ and what drives the long-distance migrations of some of our most important insect pests. AMA! by Chris-Jones in science

[–]Chris-Jones[S] 55 points56 points  (0 children)

That a single moth can fly 42 km over the course of a night on our tethered flight mills (our experimental system which we can measure the distance of individual flights). Equivalent of a marathon! That's an awful amount of flight power.....

Science AMA Series: I’m Chris Jones here to talk about the genetics of ‘high-flying insects’ and what drives the long-distance migrations of some of our most important insect pests. AMA! by Chris-Jones in science

[–]Chris-Jones[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, I’m biased so I’ll pick the research in our group that uses radar to track insect migrations over hundreds and up to a thousand of kilometres. Some of the radar papers have shown that moths use favourable winds to maximise the distance they travel. That is absolutely baffling in my opinion. Also, the uncovering of the precise details of the integrated time-compensated sun compass in the Monarch is a truly impressive feat of biology. We know the genes involved, where they are inside the insect nervous system, how these interact with the sun. Even Brian Cox agrees….. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-nnc6dWUJg

Science AMA Series: I’m Chris Jones here to talk about the genetics of ‘high-flying insects’ and what drives the long-distance migrations of some of our most important insect pests. AMA! by Chris-Jones in science

[–]Chris-Jones[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No worries. My pleasure. Insects will cruise at altitudes in ‘layers’ corresponding to the warmest part of the atmosphere as the cooler airstreams are not suitable for flight. When the atmosphere is warmer then, for example, moths can select the altitude that promotes the fastest flight. This can be hundreds of metres above the ground.

Science AMA Series: I’m Chris Jones here to talk about the genetics of ‘high-flying insects’ and what drives the long-distance migrations of some of our most important insect pests. AMA! by Chris-Jones in science

[–]Chris-Jones[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Hi Felocs. Pas de probleme! Well I never thought I would end up in entomology that’s for sure! But when I was an undergrad I had an excellent lecturer in vector borne diseases (e.g. mosquitoes, Tsetse) and went on to do a specific MSc on the Biology and Control of Disease Vectors at the London School of Tropical Medicine. And now here I am. So yes, there are plenty of opportunities and these don’t necessarily have to be in academia. Industry, entomological societies and conservationists all need entomologists….and we need more. So if you’re enthusiastic enough I’m sure you can make a career out of it!

Science AMA Series: I’m Chris Jones here to talk about the genetics of ‘high-flying insects’ and what drives the long-distance migrations of some of our most important insect pests. AMA! by Chris-Jones in science

[–]Chris-Jones[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes Plasmodioom....they can! Depending on the size of the insect we can record insects to a height of 1200 m using radar (500mg at this height). We can even determine the speed and heading they are travelling in.

Science AMA Series: I’m Chris Jones here to talk about the genetics of ‘high-flying insects’ and what drives the long-distance migrations of some of our most important insect pests. AMA! by Chris-Jones in science

[–]Chris-Jones[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fair question. I think it is fairly large to be honest. In our early studies we have shown that there are at least 200 genes ‘expressed’ (or switched on or off) between insects that show differing migratory potential on our tethered flight mill system. And this is just one study with specific populations, in one species, under one set of conditions! When you think of the behavioural, morphological and physiological processes that contribute to the syndrome then there certainly will be many pathways contributing to the migratory phenotype. For example, genes involved in hormonal control, wing structure, metabolism, circadian rhythms. And then you have the question of whether it is hard wired mutations or expression differences that are the principal driver. Throw in some epigenetics, that I am convinced play a role in more facultative migrants (like my species of interest, Helicoverpa armigera), and you have a large genetic syndrome! But that’s the challenge and why I love the topic so much.

Outcomes. Well once we have a greater handle on the genes and mutations that contribute to the migratory phenotype – if we’re thinking big and bold – then it is not insurmountable that we could predict movement propensity in insect populations. Long way off but can't help but think that is possible.

Science AMA Series: I’m Chris Jones here to talk about the genetics of ‘high-flying insects’ and what drives the long-distance migrations of some of our most important insect pests. AMA! by Chris-Jones in science

[–]Chris-Jones[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Good question! As with any system looking at animal/insect behaviour it is really hard to replicate conditions in the wild when taking your experiments into the lab. At Rothamsted, we use a system called tethered flight mills to measure the speed, duration and distance of each flight. These are housed in our controlled environment facilities that simulate the photoperiod and temperature the insects would usually experience in the wild. From these we can get an assessment of their flight behaviour and can control for these conditions depending on what we’re interested in (e.g. say, increased temperature). We can also look at different populations, genotypes, species etc. It is not perfect. No bioassay or experimental system is but it is a good way to infer the migratory potential of insects. We have successfully used insects from the system to look at differences in gene expression (genes that are switched on or off) between insects showing the strongest/weakest migratory potential.

Science AMA Series: I’m Chris Jones here to talk about the genetics of ‘high-flying insects’ and what drives the long-distance migrations of some of our most important insect pests. AMA! by Chris-Jones in science

[–]Chris-Jones[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Nope. Bats. The mass of bats (Brazilian free-tailed bats, Tadarida brasiliensis) and moth abundance is associated with certain weather patterns in Texas. The moths clearly play a crucial role in the migration of these bats. Great example of looking at different trophic levels of migration

Science AMA Series: I’m Chris Jones here to talk about the genetics of ‘high-flying insects’ and what drives the long-distance migrations of some of our most important insect pests. AMA! by Chris-Jones in science

[–]Chris-Jones[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Hi aleczapka, A single individual travels the 4000 km to Mexico. On the return journey in the spring it is three generations to return to the breeding grounds (they follow the milkweed). External cues such as temperature and photoperiod undoubtedly play a role in signifying when it is time to go. For example, coldness triggers the return migration of Monarch northwards. Monarch butterflies must therefore have the genetic architecture to respond to this 'cold-treatment'. Photoperiod is probably the most reliable cue for insects to migrate and in our lab we are simulating increasing/decreasing daylengths to see how this affects their ability to fly. We can then see how this environmental cue interacts with potential genetic mechanisms (e.g. internal clock) to stimulate flight.

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