Aya Ibrahim
Titolo: Indagini sulle caratteristiche genetiche e funzionali di insetti alieni invasivi per il controllo integrato: il caso studio della cimice asiatica marmorata, Halyomprha halys
Supervisor: Prof. Gianfranco Anfora
Invasive alien species pose a global threat to biodiversity and are a major cost to the economic well-being of the society. After their establishment and spread outside their native distribution range, alien species tend to disturb the ecological processes and habitats, cause major losses in agricultural production and sometimes even harm to human and animal health.
Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), commonly known as the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB), is an invasive agricultural and domestic pest in North America and Europe. This pest originates from East Asia. In Italy, it was first detected in 2012 in Modena. It is known to feed on over two hundred host plants, and is capable of causing significant damage to many economically important crops and ornamental species. Moreover, BMSB is considered an urban nuisance pest due to its overwintering behavior, as it often aggregates in anthropogenic structures.
In light of the aforementioned, the ultimate aim of the PhD project is to integrate complementary sustainable approaches to limit the spread and crop damage caused by BMSB. For this purpose, the theme of the research revolves around understanding the biological life cycle of H. halys under alpine conditions. In parallel, the communication modes of this pest will be decoded on behavioral, physiological and vibrational levels.
Biography and contacts
Aya was born in 1989 in Lebanon. From 2009 to 2013, she studied at the Lebanese University for her Bachelor degrees in biology and in agricultural sciences, and she became increasingly interested in sustainable agricultural production and protection systems. For this reason, she decided to continue her education in the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari, Italy. In 2016, she received her Master’s degree in Mediterranean Organic Agriculture. She enrolled in the doctoral course in November 2016 in the PhD School “Agricultural Science and Biotechnology” at the University of Udine, and she is carrying out her research activities at Edmund Mach Foundation in San Michele all’Adige (TN).
[+39 3294 859 305]