Laura Espinosa del Alba

Doctoral student

Research areas:

Insect plant coevolution: mechanisms of sequestration of plant toxins by milkweed bugs (Heteroptera: Lygaeinae)
Insect physiology: physiological implications of toxin uptake, transport, metabolism and storage
Toxicology: toxic feeding essays (in vivo) and microinjection techniques with isolated digestive tracts (in vitro)
Analytical chemistry: HPLC analyses

Curriculum vitae

Since 02/2018	PhD student at the Applied Entomology Department (360c) Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Georg Petschenka	Institut für Phytomedizin, Universität Hohenheim
02/2018- 02-2020	PhD student at the Insect Adaptations to Plant Toxins Research Group Supervisor: Dr. Georg Petschenka, Emmy Noether and LOEWE Group Leader	Institut für Insektenbiotechnologie, Justus Liebig- Universität Giessen
02/2017- 10/2017	Internship at the Science and New Technologies Department, working mainly on bee health. (Vespa velutina nigrithorax, European foulbrood, varroosis) Supervisor: Dr. François Diaz	World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE Headquarters, France)
02/2016-07/2016	Job in the beekeeping sector, running physico-chemical and melissopalynological analysis of honey and managing internal documents and beekeeping support measures	Associació d’Apicultors de Lleida (Lleida Beekeeping Association, Spain)
09/2010-07/2015	Degree in Veterinary Medicine (300 ECTS, EQF level 7) Degree Thesis: Colony Collapse Disorder: a review of the possible factors and agents involved	Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain)

Projects

My PhD project focusses on understanding insect resistance mechanisms to plant toxins in a co-evolutionary framework. Certain species of Heteroptera are not only resistant to toxins such as cardenolides or alkaloids produced by their host plants, but also sequester the compounds to obtain an ecological benefit, such as being defended against predators. During my doctoral research, I aim to better characterise the mechanisms underlying sequestration in milkweed bugs (Heteroptera: Lygaeidae: Lygaeinae) and the physiological implications that sequestration may have for these insects. By using microscopic techniques, chemical analyses, feeding assays and physiological experiments involving isolated gut tissues, I will work on the level of tissues, body systems and the whole organism.

Publications

Espinosa L, Franco S and Chauzat MP (2019) Could Vespa velutina nigrithorax be included in the World Organisation for Animal Healthlist of diseases, infections and infestations? Rev. Sci. Tech. Off.Int.Epiz.,2019,38(3). pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32286563/

Criteria for the inclusion of diseases, infections and infestations in the OIE list (2017). Presentation given in the OIE Symposium, within the 45th APIMONDIA International Apicultural Congress.

New approaches to a long- known disease: should viruses be included under the definition of varroosis? (2017). Collaboration with Marie-Pierre Chauzat, who presented it in the OIE Symposium, within the 45th APIMONDIA International Apicultural Congress.

Colony Collapse Disorder: a review of the possible factors and agents involved (2015). Degree thesis, in Catalan. Poster in English published in Research Gate.

Doctoral student

Research areas:

Curriculum vitae

Projects

Publications

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