ECOLOGICAL GENETICS & CONSERVATION

Calum Bridson

 

I am broadly interested in ecology and evolution, particularly the influence symbiotic communities can have on their host. My current research involves investigating the influence of diet on the composition and function of gut microbial communities in honeybees and bumblebees. Gut microbes can have important effects on their host’s health and phenotype, yet little is known about the forces that shape these communities and influence their effect on the host. Social bees have a simple, highly specific gut community making them good models for studying the importance of diet, while the results can also be used to address the current decline in bee abundance and diversity. For my research I will use a range of techniques including TRFLPs, next-generation sequencing and gene expression studies.

 

Previously I did an MBiolSci at the University of Sheffield, where I investigated the importance of sperm length in Drosophila pseudoobscura. I have also assisted on a project at the University of Cambridge looking at the genetic basis of antiviral resistance in Drosophila melanogaster. Before I came to Manchester I worked at East Malling Research, where I used genetic techniques to improve our understanding of pest species.