Science AMA Series: I’m Jozsef Vuts here to discuss the science behind
chemical ecology and how this knowledge can be used to tackle pest
insects. AMA!
Abstract
Edit: Hi everyone! Many thanks for those who were interested in this
topic, I really enjoyed answering your thought-provoking questions. I am
signing out now, but will try to check back later and answer a few more.
Hello Reddit! I’m a chemical ecologist at Rothamsted Research in the UK.
Up until the age of eight I had wanted to become a pilot, an ambition
that was stopped short after a failed attempt to fly a home-made glider.
However, I think it was my innate curiosity that eventually made me
realise that I wanted to do something connected to nature. Endless hours
a day spent in the back garden, natural history books, influential
teachers and, later in life, great mentors supported me on my way to
becoming an ecologist. First at the Plant Protection Institute of the
Hungarian Academy of Sciences
(http://marton.agrar.mta.hu/start.php?lang=en), and later at Rothamsted
(https://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/). I was amazed by the dedication and
focussed work of inspiring scientists who wanted to make a difference,
thereby setting a standard for me. After my third level studies, I was
introduced into the amazing world of semiochemicals (behaviour- and
development-modifying chemicals). Since then, I have found myself
immersed in this magical world of chemical communication that invisibly
governs key interactions among organisms! It is fascinating stuff! I
mainly work with insect pests in agro- and forest ecosystems. I identify
volatile compounds from the pests’ host plants or the insects
themselves. I then use these compounds to manipulate the behaviour and
development of the plant, or the insect, to help keep the pest’s
population under control. I recently also started to study the chemical
ecology under our feet. The soil is a tough one, because it is much less
accessible, and therefore harder to research, than the environment above
the ground. However, when something is discovered here, it has the
potential to be ground-breaking! In a world where environmental, human
and food safety are fortunately becoming increasingly important, we need
alternative, non-toxic ways to tackle pests, and chemical ecology
research offers such solutions. The recent ban of many key pesticides is
also driving the focus of plant protection in this direction. It would
be great to discuss my research with you. Feel free to ask me anything!
On Thursday 26th October at 4pm (BST) I will be live on Reddit Science
AMA. In the meantime, you are welcome to find out more about me in a
blog entry I wrote for Rothamsted’s ‘A day in the life of a research
scientist’ blog series
(https://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/articles/day-life-dr-jozsef-vuts).
(Rothamsted Research is a company limited by guarantee, registered in
England at Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 2JQ under the registration
number 2393175 and a not for profit charity number 802038.)