LT
leena thorat
York University
Toronto, Canada
About this Research Topic
This Research Topic is closed for submissions.
Background
Insects make up a major proportion of the phylum Arthropoda. Since insects occupy diverse ecological habitats, they often experience various seasonal and stochastic fluctuations in their environments at some stage of their life cycle. For instance, they are exposed to hostile abiotic extremes of temperature-humidity, pH, nutrient, water and oxygen unavailability, erratic drought-rehydration cycles and the presence of harmful constituents including metals, toxins, and micro/nano plastics in their habitats. To combat these challenges, insects employ an array of remarkable strategies to orchestrate favourable responses leading to successful survival and continuation of species. In addition, several insects are known to share complex relationships with distinct microbiota that are known to contribute to their tolerance mechanisms, thereby ensuring their co-existence even under unfavourable conditions.
The enormous biological diversity and ecological significance of insects make them valuable animal models as ecological indicators for environment monitoring. This Research Topic aims to compile recent advances in insect stress management strategies under unfavourable abiotic conditions.
Relying on single/ isolated stress response attributes can often miss other simultaneously active mechanisms and biomarkers. We therefore take a broader approach in unifying the whole gamut of stress response patterns in insects that collectively explain their resilience towards stressful environments. This Research Topic collection intends to shed light on:
(1) Current knowledge concerning all aspects of whole-organismal, physiological, cellular and molecular responses and cellular signalling mechanisms.
(2) Emerging perspectives on endocrinological regulation.
(3) Growing evidence on arthropod-microbiome interactions.
We welcome original articles, full reviews, mini reviews, and perspectives relevant to the following areas:
• Stress-responsive whole organismal responses of insects
• Insect-microbiota interactions and co-evolution dynamics
• Organismal- and cellular-level physiology and biochemistry
• Signal transduction and cellular and molecular underpinnings
• Hormonal regulation and endocrine disruptor effects
Keywords: Insects, Environment, Abiotic Stress Tolerance, Adaptations, Behaviour, Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Endocrinology, Insect-Host Microbiota
Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
