New publication alert! Research led by PhD student Alexe Indigo while she was an undergraduate has recently been published in The Canadian Entomologist. This work (supported by an NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award) takes a close-up look at the nesting architecture of paracoprid dung beetles that dig tunnels under the soil surface.
Alexe worked with Mahdi Pirhayati, a lab technician in our faculty’s Engineering department, to design and produce 3D-printed nesting chambers that would allow for the observation of the beetles’ underground activities.
What resulted was a short pilot study that allowed us to gain insight into the progressive formation of tunnels and brood balls by nesting beetles (spoiler alert – it’s so cool!). This publication is available (open access!) to read at The Canadian Entomologist – check it out!
Insect Biodiversity in Agroecosystems Lab 