Many thanks, of course, to (not on bsky) Alycia Lackey, our fearless leader, and other members of the lab for feedback and support throughout (Shayna, Olivia, @jennalydiaburns.bsky.social)

alyciarlackey.weebly.com

Survival was higher in the substrate containing ground walnut husk than the control conditions, indicating a beneficial relationship between flies and their host. We also found that this substrate treatment had lower pH and higher moisture retention, which likely also contributed to higher survival.

Walnut husk maggots, R. suavis, uses the walnut tree as its host despite its allelopathic qualities present in the active chemical, juglone. We ask. do they perform better because of this exposure to juglone or do they simply survive despite it?

Perfect time to listen to virtual #Evol2025 @evolmtg.bsky.social

Naomi gave a talk on a project she designed three years ago assessing survival in different developmental substrate conditions. Paper coming soon!

Brianna evaluated how egg load was condition-dependent but perhaps unrelated to mating decisions—she'll expand on this project working with me over the summer! 🧪

Isabella presented on size variation within and between species of walnut husk flies and discussed the implications for sexual selection on body size

ft. the graphical abstract that I finished 10 mins too late to add to the pub