BEAR DOWN
UAPA
  • Home
  • ABOUT
    • History
    • UAPA EXECUTIVE BOARD & COMMITTEES
    • Operational Guidelines
    • Contact
  • Postdoc Life
    • Spotlight
    • UAPA Postdoc Handbook
    • National Postdoctoral Association
    • Useful Links
  • Professional Development
  • Events
  • Get Involved
  • Home
  • ABOUT
    • History
    • UAPA EXECUTIVE BOARD & COMMITTEES
    • Operational Guidelines
    • Contact
  • Postdoc Life
    • Spotlight
    • UAPA Postdoc Handbook
    • National Postdoctoral Association
    • Useful Links
  • Professional Development
  • Events
  • Get Involved

Dr. Robert Zinna

10/7/2016

0 Comments

 

​Center for Insect Science - PERT Program

My research interest broadly encompasses all aspects of insect physiology. My dissertation work focused on how physiological mechanisms such as nutritionally sensitive physiological systems in insects interact with sexually dimorphic gene expression to shape a condition-dependent, plastic trait. For my dissertation I investigated how insect endocrine systems, such as the insulin signaling and juvenile hormone signaling pathways, contributed to condition-dependent weapon growth. In addition, I also investigated how nutritional state and sex interact to drive differential gene expression using RNA-seq. This work focused on the sexually selected head horns in the Asian Rhinoceros beetle Trypoxylus dichotomus as well as the massive mandibles in the Golden Stag beetle Cyclommatus metallifer, and explored the underlying physiological mechanisms behind the evolution of these impressive weapons.
​

Since joining the PERT program here at the University of Arizona, I’ve transitioned my love of insect physiology away from questions about morphological evolution and into understanding how insect physiology can impact human life. Specifically, my PERT research focuses on the interactions between mosquito physiology and their ability to vector diseases. I’m currently investigating how physiological factors such as insulin signaling affect mosquito longevity, reproductive ability, and how dysregulation of this pathway can affect the ability of mosquitoes to transmit malaria. In addition, I’m also working on a project to determine how temperature affects the incubation period of the Zika virus in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, in order to help create predictive models for disease transmission based on understanding insect physiology. Ultimately this research will also be used to identify physiological factors in mosquitoes that can be utilized to help reduce the spread of this emerging pandemic disease. ​
Picture
0 Comments

    Spotlight

    Each month we'll feature a Postdoctoral Scholar and their research, sharing their experiences from the UA, life in Arizona and their research interests.

    Archives

    November 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    September 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    October 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    October 2016

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.