Trial lecture: 'Ecological consequences of climate change-pesticide interactions in soil ecosystems'
Time and place: May 20, 2025 10:15 AM, Nucleus, Bikuben, Kristine Bonnevies hus
Main research findings:
Climate change and pesticides are both major environmental threats, and their interaction can lead to unpredictable effects on animal populations. Less studied, however, is how animals' adaptation to specific climates may influence their responses to these stressors. In this thesis, I used laboratory experiments to examine how temperature and exposure to the insecticide imidacloprid affect two conspecific springtail populations with different thermal adaptations.
As ectotherms, springtails have life-history strategies that are strongly temperature-dependent. By studying their responses to insecticide exposure across a range of temperatures, we can assess whether energy allocation to survival, growth, and reproduction is disrupted. The warm-adapted specialist—thriving at higher temperatures with faster growth, development, and reproduction—was most sensitive to toxic stress at elevated temperatures. This included key traits such as survival, growth, and egg production. Since negative effects were most evident after maturation, it is possible this population invested more energy into growth and reproduction at the cost of maintenance, increasing its sensitivity to toxic stress. These findings have implications for understanding how climate change may affect springtail populations and emphasize the importance of considering thermal adaptation when assessing temperature-dependent toxicity.
Adjudication committee
Prof. Robby Stoks, Department of Biology, University of Leuven
Prof. Stephen J. Coulson, The University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS)
Prof. Inger Skrede, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo
Chair of defense
Prof. Josefin Titelman, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo
Supervisors
Prof. Katrine Borgå, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo
Prof. em. Hans Petter Leinaas, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo
Prof. em. Cornelis A. M. (Kees) van Gestel, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam