Genetic diversity and interaction structure of insects and plants

• Grant number: 16/24821-1
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: August 01, 2017
• End date: October 31, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Theoretical Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Thomas Michael Lewinsohn
• Grantee: Thomas Michael Lewinsohn
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Gilberto Corso ; Karina Lucas da Silva-Brandão ; Leonardo Ré Jorge

Abstract

This proposal comprises two subprojects. Subproject 1, "Trophic specialization and genetic diversity of phytophagous insects", aims at evaluating how the genetic diversity of herbivorous insects is influenced by their trophic specialization and geographic extent. Microsatellite markers will be used to amplify specific regions of the herbivores' DNA, which will be used to compute measures of genetic diversity and gene flow for the studied populations. We intend to estimate the relative contribution of host plant breadth and geographical distribution in determining the genetic structure of specialist and generalist herbivorous insects. We will also investigate local genetic differentiation of conspecific herbivores that use different host plants. In subproject 2, "Trophic specialization, interaction diversity and community organization", we will construct a general theoretical framework for interaction diversity, formalized as a model of generalized entropy. The unifying concept for this framework is specialization, taken to encompass biotic interactions as well as their spatial differentiation. We will develop specific models to investigate potential determinants of trophic specialization, especially phylogenetic range of host species on their consumers. A further model will serve to evaluate the congruence of geographic turnover (beta diversity) among functionally coupled species assemblages, and the phylogenetic or spatial determinants of this congruence. The effectiveness of a generalized entropy model for interaction diversity and its practical applicability will be assessed with large data sets on plant-herbivore interactions, starting with the data base on phytophagous insects associated with Astraea flower heads, amassed by our research group in preceding studies over several decades. (AU)

Scientific publications

(4)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

LEAL, CAMILA RABELO OLIVEIRA; JORGE, LEONARDO RE; DE SOUZA, ANETE PEREIRA; LEWINSOHN, THOMAS MICHAEL; SILVA-BRANDAO, KARINA LUCAS. Characterization of microsatellite loci for three species of Tomoplagia (Diptera: Tephritidae) and absence of cross-species amplification. APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY AND ZOOLOGY, v. 56, n. 1, p. 125-132, FEB 2021. (12/16266-7, 15/10236-7, 16/24821-1)

CORSO, GILBERTO; FERREIRA, GABRIEL M. F.; LEWINSOHN, THOMAS M.. Mutual Information as a General Measure of Structure in Interaction Networks. Entropy, v. 22, n. 5, MAY 2020. (16/24821-1)

OLIVEIRA LEAL, CAMILA RABELO; DE SOUZA, ANETE PEREIRA; SILVA-BRANDAO, KARINA LUCAS; LEWINSOHN, THOMAS MICHAEL. ost specialization, genetic variability, and differentiation in three species of Tomoplagia from Brazilian rupestrian grassland. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, v. 170, n. 1, SI, NOV 2021. (16/24821-1, 12/16266-7, 15/10236-7)

FELIX, GABRIEL M.; PINHEIRO, RAFAEL B. P.; JORGE, LEONARDO R.; LEWINSOHN, THOMAS M.. A framework for hierarchical compound topologies in species interaction networks. OIKOS, v. 2022, n. 12, p. 13-pg., 2022-09-19. (16/24821-1, 20/06771-2)