Organismal sensory systems mediate a variety of critical ecological processes, including reproduction, foraging, and disease development. Behavior ultimately controls many of these interactions, but rarely do ecological studies consider the behavioral and neural mechanisms underlying those interactions. Conversely, evolution has sculpted sensory systems based on their ecological environment, but many neurobiological studies often lack a natural history framework. Here, in this talk, I will focus our recent work on the Aedes aegypti mosquito, an important disease vector.

The human body contains ~ 3.72 x 10¹³ cells and 200 different cell types. Generating the right number and types of cells is vital for embryogenesis, morphogenesis and tissue homeostasis. Such cellular diversity can be generated and maintained through asymmetric cell division (ACD), an evolutionary conserved process. ACD can be manifested in sibling cell size differences, distinct biochemical and molecular identities, or differences in subsequent division patterns.