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Applied Entomology and Zoology Lab
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The lab studies insect immunity and the ecology of parasitoid wasps and flies.
AboutAbout the lab
Exploring how small insects survive
The Applied Entomology and Zoology Lab studies the mechanisms of insect immunity and the ecology of parasitoid wasps and flies.
Insects survive in environments containing pathogenic bacteria and under attack from parasitoid insects.
Using molecular biological methods, rearing experiments, and field surveys, the lab investigates these defense mechanisms and the strategies of the parasitoids.
Undergraduates join from the College of Biological Sciences or the College of Agro-Biological Resource Sciences in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences, and graduate students join through the Agro-Bioresource Sciences or Agricultural Sciences degree programs.
Key terms
- Parasitoid insects
- Insects whose larvae grow by feeding on or inside a host, eventually killing it before becoming adults. Parasitoid wasps and parasitoid flies are typical examples.
- Cellular immunity
- A component of insect innate immunity. It shows two responses, phagocytosis and encapsulation, depending on the size of the invading foreign object.
- Host
- The organism (usually an insect) that the larvae of parasitoid wasps and flies parasitize. The larvae grow on or inside it.
ResearchResearch themes
The lab pursues two lines of research: immunity, or how insects deal with invading enemies, and parasitoid insects such as parasitoid wasps and flies. The description on the research themes page dates from around 2022.
*Illustrative imageImmune responses according to the size of the invader
Insect cellular immunity shows two responses, phagocytosis and encapsulation, depending on the size of the invading foreign object, but how size is recognized and the molecular mechanisms of these responses are poorly understood. The lab aims to clarify them using molecular biological methods.
*Illustrative imageHow parasitoid flies evade host immunity
Parasitoid flies develop inside their hosts, but how they avoid the host's immune system remains largely unknown. The lab rears species that parasitize Lepidoptera and investigates them through dissection and observation as well as expression analysis of immune-related genes.
*Illustrative imageInterspecific competition among parasitoid wasps for hosts
In the field, interspecific competition for hosts occurs between adult females and between larvae that have parasitized the same host. Through laboratory behavioral tests, rearing experiments, and field surveys, the lab aims to clarify competition among parasitoid wasps.
*Illustrative imageInteractions among trees, fungi, insects, and parasitoid wasps
Much remains unknown about how wasps that parasitize insects living in tree trunks locate their hosts. The lab studies the complex four-way relationship among woodwasps, their parasitoid wasps, and the symbiotic fungi of the woodwasps, and aims to clarify parasitism strategies.
MembersFaculty
The lab's members include faculty, part-time researchers, administrative staff, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- Associate ProfessorSeiichi Furukawa
- Assistant ProfessorShimu Kuramitsu
- Professor (Cooperative Graduate School)Jun Tabata
- Assistant ProfessorNatsuko Kinoshita
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Parasitoid wasp on Caterpillar” Nikhil More / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Immune responses according to the size of the invader: “Cephonodes hylas larva on the leaf - 1” KKPCW （Kyu3） / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- How parasitoid flies evade host immunity: “Grotis exclamationis cf larva parasitized Suedliche Weinstrasse” InsektenDoku / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Interspecific competition among parasitoid wasps for hosts: “Braconid parasitoid wasp Apanteles sp eggs & Lime Butterfly (Papilio demoleus) cat W IMG 2862” J.M.Garg / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Interactions among trees, fungi, insects, and parasitoid wasps: “Urocerus gigas - SLO” Yerpo / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Plant Nutrition Lab): “Architectural Plants Greenhouse - geograph.org.uk - 2849869” Paul Gillett / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Food Resource Utilization Science Lab): “Semi-desert vegetation in Lamu” HassanA2023 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Food Functional Chemistry Lab): “Tissue glass Dounce homogenizer-03” Lilly_M / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Plant Environmental Biochemistry Lab): “ISS-64 Radish plants in the Plant Habitat-02 experiment (2)” NASA / Public domain (cropped)
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