Meeting October 18th: The period gene regulates daily and seasonal diapause timing in the European corn borer

Our October meeting for the Connecticut Entomological Society will take place this Friday, October 18, at UConn's Biology Physics Building Room 130.  We will have pizza and refreshments ~6:30 p.m., the Business Meeting will start at 7:30, and our featured presentation will start at 8 p.m. or a little earlier if the business meeting runs quickly.  This meeting will be run as a hybrid Zoom meeting.  Please email ctentsoc@gmail.com for the Zoom meeting details.

Speaker:  Dr. Jacob Dayton

Title: The period gene regulates daily and seasonal diapause timing in the European corn borer

Abstract: Insects rely on precise timing mechanisms to appropriately synchronize their daily activities and seasonal development with environmental change. In this talk, I will share how variation in the circadian clock affects both daily behavior and the seasonal photoperiodic diapause of the European corn borer. By integrating behavioral assays, transcriptomics, and CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing, I demonstrate that differences in period abundance may contribute to the divergent life cycles of two corn borer populations.  Given the evolutionarily conserved function of period in the circadian clock, these findings offer insights into local adaptation across insects and suggest future potential implications for pest management.

Bio: Jacob Dayton grew up in eastern Connecticut and received his B.S. in Biology from Eastern Connecticut State University in 2019. He went on to earn his Ph.D. in Biology from Tufts University in 2024. With a focus on the European corn borer, his dissertation research investigated the genetic mechanisms underlying ecological variation in daily behavior and seasonal diapause development. Last year, Jacob served as President of the Cambridge Entomological Club.

We hope to see you there!