Date of Completion
2024
Document Type
Honors College Thesis
Department
Plant and Soil Science
Thesis Type
Honors College, College of Arts and Science Honors
First Advisor
Yolanda H. Chen
Second Advisor
Melissa H. Pespeni
Third Advisor
Brent L. Lockwood
Keywords
epigenetics, histone modifications, hormesis, agricultural pests, fungicides
Abstract
Insect pests like the Colorado potato beetle (CPB) can develop heightened adaptive abilities to stress, potentially influenced by indirect exposure to various pesticides. Exploring the concept of hormesis, where sublethal doses of stressors can enhance resilience, I aim to understand the impact of sublethal exposure to the fungicide chlorothalonil on CPB performance, a widely used fungicide in potato acres. I propose that fungicide exposure could significantly alter CPB performance through herbivory, mortality, development time, and adult emergence. Furthermore, I suggest that fungicide exposure might induce epigenetic changes in CPB, particularly through histone modifications, that may explain potential hormetic effects.
My study seeks to investigate two key aspects. Firstly, I test to what extent varying fungicide exposure influences CPB histone modifications. Secondly, I study how varying fungicide exposure impacts CPB herbivory, mortality, development time, and adult emergence. Understanding the interplay between fungicides and CPB is pivotal for devising sustainable pest management strategies as potential hormetic effects may prime insects to subsequent stressors, in a process known as cross-tolerance.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Bjorklun, Sam, "The Effect of Fungicide Exposure on Histone Modifications in the Colorado Potato Beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata" (2024). UVM Patrick Leahy Honors College Senior Theses. 615.
https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/hcoltheses/615