About our lab:
The Laboratory of Insect Stress Physiology
The Laboratory of Insect Stress Physiology was established at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas in 2018 when J.D. Gantz, PhD joined the faculty in the Department of Biology and Health Sciences. Since that time, the laboratory has focused on creating opportunities for Hendrix College undergraduate students to investigate the physiological mechanisms that insects and other ectothermic (cold-blooded) invertebrates use to survive winter weather and polar climates. Their research endeavors have taken members of the lab to both Alaska and Antarctica, as well as many places in between.
Our research
We are broadly interested in physiological adaptations of animals, particularly invertebrates, to environmental stress with focus on survival of winter or polar environments in insects. To better understand the adaptations that help insects overcome these challenges, we use a wide range of approaches, from advanced molecular techniques to organismal and behavioral assays. Read more here.
Why insects?
Insects are important to study for numerous reasons. Whether we want to or not, we interact with them extensively in our lives. They affect food production, both as crop pests and as pollinators, they can also be used as a source of food themselves, they transmit diseases and cause major health challenges, and they are also used extensively in research that directly impacts human health. Learn more here.
Publications
Here, we provide a list of the publications by members of our lab. Find the list here.
Polar and winter biology
Understanding how insects tolerate winter and polar environments helps improve human health and well being by contributing to fields like pest control, food production, and disease transmission. Additionally, insects offer important insights into human physiology that can be used to address health challenges from cryopreservation of organs to migraine headaches. Read more here.
Lab members
Come meet the people responsible for all the research, outreach, and other work coming out of the Laboratory of Insect Stress Physiology! Read more here.
In the news
Members of our lab have been featured in a variety of stories and publications. Read the stories and articles here.