| Position | PhD student - Fatigue and repair mechanisms in insect exoskeletons |
|---|---|
| Organisation | Fakultät 5, Abt. 2 |
| Building, Room | E, 702/703 |
| Address | Neustadtswall 30 28199 Bremen |
| Phone: +49 421 5905 4150 | |
Insect cuticle forms the structural backbone of the exoskeleton and is a key factor underlying the evolutionary success of insects. It provides mechanical protection, enables functional specialization of body parts, and is exposed to a wide range of mechanical and biological stresses throughout an insect’s life. Although the cuticle of adult insects is generally considered to cease growing after maturation, injuries occur frequently. How adult insects respond to such damage, and to what extent active repair of the exoskeleton is possible, remains poorly understood.
This PhD project investigates the mechanisms of local cuticle repair in adult insects using the model organism Locusta migratoria. The central aim is to determine under which conditions injuries trigger a targeted healing response, how these processes unfold over time, and which structural, biomechanical, and molecular changes accompany repair. Particular attention is paid to the role of injury depth and extent, and to how newly deposited cuticular material contributes to the restoration of exoskeletal integrity.
A key focus of the project is the integration of structural, functional, and molecular perspectives on cuticle healing. To achieve this, a broad and complementary methodological portfolio is employed, ranging from high-resolution imaging techniques such as environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) and micro-computed tomography (µCT), to biomechanical testing and molecular biological gene expression analyses. This multi-scale approach allows repair processes to be examined across different levels of biological organization and linked into a coherent framework.
The overall goal of this project is to characterize insect cuticle as an active and adaptive material system that can detect and locally repair structural damage even in the adult stage. The findings are expected to advance our fundamental understanding of wound healing in arthropod exoskeletons and to provide inspiration for the development of bio-inspired, self-healing materials.
