Microbial cues for fly reproduction

Basic research
Towards decrypting the semiochemical communication between microbes and black soldier flies involved in oviposition

Description

This project aims to identify the microbial chemicals that influence egg-laying in black soldier flies (Hermetia illucens), and to use the microorganisms that produce them to design substrates that attract egg-laying females. It combines behavioural biology, ecology, chemistry and microbiology.

Involved students

Linda Tekaat and Elisa Gemassmer (master’s theses)

Publications

Stage-specific microbiota transitions throughout black soldier fly ontogeny
Klammsteiner T., Heussler C. D., Stonig K. T., Insam H., Schlick-Steiner B. C., Steiner F. M. Microb Ecol 89(1), 41 PDF
Exploring interkingdom communication: The case of black soldier fly mass-rearing
Klammsteiner T., Heussler C. D., Insam H., Tomberlin J. K., Schlick-Steiner B. C., Steiner F. M. Curr Opin Insect Sci 72, 101427 PDF
BugBook: Black soldier fly as a model to assess behaviour of insects mass produced as food and feed
Tomberlin J. K., Klammsteiner T., Lemke N., Yadav P., Sandrock C. J Insects Food Feed 11(18), 341–360 PDF
Primary study on frass fertilizers from mass-reared insects: Species variation, heat treatment effects, and implications for soil application at laboratory scale
Praeg N., Klammsteiner T. J Environ Manage 356, 120622 PDF
A comparative study of effects of biodegradable and non-biodegradable microplastics on the growth and development of black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens)
Heussler C. D., Dittmann I. L., Egger B., Robra S., Klammsteiner T. Waste Biomass Valori 15, 2313–2322 PDF