A St. FX University biology professor is studying how insects overwinter, particularly under
St. FX University biology professor Dr. Jantina Toxopeus. (St. FX University photo)
climate change. Jantina Toxopeus has received almost $67,879 in funding for her project from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund, and a matching amount from Research Nova Scotia.
Toxopeus says she’s been interested about the topic for the past eight years. As a university, she was fascinated to discover that some insects can survive after being frozen solid. Toxopeus says she’s excited about researching it.
Toxopeus says under climate change, winters are changing faster than summers, so understanding how insects overwinter is important.
Toxopeus will use spring field crickets for her study. She says she chose the crickets because they are freeze tolerant, so they can survive ice formations in their bodies. She says these crickets can also be easily grown and studied in a lab environment.