Temperature Preference Testing:
Creating Microclimates for Insect Subjects
Using TECA’s Gradient Bar System, a biology department at a U.S. university created a temperature preference device for small insects.
The insects were infected with various pathogens. The researchers wanted to create an environment where the insects chose a temperature benefiting pathogen replication/transmission and not host survival, thus determining whether pathogens alter their hosts’ temperature preferences.
Insulating their petri dishes and setting the entire gradient machine inside a larger incubator, the researchers created a microclimate and had excellent control over temperature fluctuations.