New paper in Current Opinion in Insect Science!

I am delighted to announce that our paper with Dr. Joshua Benoit from UC, Dr. David Denlinger from OSU and Dr. Claudio Lazzari from IRBI/CNRS in Current Opinion in Insect Science is now available online: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214574518301445

Abstract: Blood feeding in arthropods has evolved in multiple lineages. This feeding preference provides a source of ample proteins and lipids for egg production and survival, but ingestion of a large warm blood-meal can boost the arthropod’s body temperature 15°-20 °C within seconds to minutes. This represents one of, if not the most, rapid thermal change documented under a natural setting. Here, we describe mechanisms of thermoregulation and thermotolerance in arthropods during blood feeding. The ability to prevent blood-induced thermal damage is a fundamental physiological adaptation linked to the use of warm-blooded vertebrates as food sources. Specific functional and comparative studies have identified unique and divergent mechanisms that suppress or repair thermal stress during blood feeding. These mechanisms include countercurrent heat exchange, evaporative cooling, and upregulation of stress associated proteins.