Hostel environment!

The rearing of
invertebrate pest species for biological
control studies.
1. Background.
Each year, pest species are responsible for causing losses of up to 40% in global crop
production, resulting in around $290 billion worth of damages [1], primarily attributed
to physical damage and plant disease, 80% of which are in fact transmitted by insect
2. What I do
pests[2]. Because of this, farming practices are reliant on chemical pesticides with over
2 billion kilograms being used globally each year [3].
• Issues include insect resistance, NTO’s, bioaccumulation in consumers

• This has lead to the need for a more sustainable approach to invertebrate pest • I’m on an internship partnered with Razbio and the BANP group at
control Swansea university as a research technician
• I help rear multitrophic foliar insect pest species as well as conduct
sustainable biocontrol, mosaic model IPM = good research for pest control companies
• Example includes the use of entomopathogenic fungus to

• Fungus Mode of action

• Endless future applications
• Planococcus citri, Tetranychus urticae, Myzus persicae, Frankliniella
Figure 1. Figure 2. occidentalis, Trialeurodes vaporaroirum
For this academic year I am spending nine months helping on the BEF-
SCALE research project at Swansea University. BEF are the connections 4. Conclusions.
between Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning. The ecosystem functions To summarise, the development of the RTS, S vaccine is a major
of macroalgae include nutrient retention, photosynthesizing, and carbon stepping stone towards a more successful control of Malaria. Although it
cycling. Large brown macroalgae affect rocky shores by expanding their lacks a strong efficacy, it is still the best non physical preventative
measure of this parasitic disease, especially for infants who lack a fully
spatial area, creating a protective environment for fauna and smaller algal developed immune system.
species to colonies, supporting a greater biodiversity. With larger The approval of this vaccine also provides a new hope for more suitable
macroalgal diversity comes an increase in ecosystem functions, as each malaria vaccines, as well as control for other parasitic diseases such as
species brings their own functional strengths. BEF-SCALE aims to establish leishmania and Schistosomiasis.
how the impacts of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning changes with
increased spatial scaling and environmental dimensionality.
References. Datoo, M., et al. (2021). Efficacy of a low-dose candidate malaria vaccine, R21 in adjuvant Matrix-M, with seasonal administration to children in Burkina Faso: a randomised controlled trial. The Lancet, 397(10287), 1809-1818.
Hogan, A., Winskill, P., & Ghani, A. (2020). Estimated impact of RTS, S/AS01 malaria vaccine allocation strategies in sub-Saharan Africa: A modelling study. PLoS medicine, 17(11).
Hill, A. (2011). Vaccines against malaria. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 366(1579), 2806-2814.
IMHE (2019). Global burden of Disease; Max Roser and Hannah Ritchie (2019), Malaria. OurWorldInData.org/malaria.
Michalakis, Y., & Renaud, F. (2009). Evolution in vector control. Nature, 462(7271), 298-300.
Rts, S. C. T. P. (2015). Efficacy and safety of RTS, S/AS01 malaria vaccine with or without a booster dose in infants and children in Africa: final results of a phase 3, individually randomised, controlled trial. The Lancet, 386(9988), 31-45.