Genomic and phenotypic signatures of the evolution of trophic habits in insects: a macro-evolutionary perspective

• Grant number: 24/13687-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Support Program for Fixating Young Doctors
• Start date: September 01, 2024
• End date: March 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology
• Principal Investigator: Tatiana Teixeira Torres
• Grantee: Filipe Macedo Gudin
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 23/01559-3 - Genomic and phenotypic signatures of the evolution of trophic habits in insects: a macro-evolutionary perspective, AP.R

Abstract

Traits directly associated with the ecology of organisms tend to play an essential role in lineage diversification, since they are direct targets of selection. However, understanding how certain ecological conditions have influenced the evolution of the morphology and genome of species represents a great challenge. One of the key ecological factors in the evolution and diversification of organisms is trophic habits. For insects, the most diverse and numerous group of animals, the emergence of highly specialized habits is considered an essential step in their evolution. In this project, we will combine modern tools of comparative genomics and phylogenetic methods to investigate the evolutionary processes that shaped the evolution of two key trophic habits in insect evolution: necrophagy and parasitism. In the first subproject, we will investigate genomic signatures underlying the evolution of necrophagy and parasitism in insects, searching for expansions and retractions of gene families associated with both habits. We will test the hypothesis that different insect lineages experienced selection on the same gene families due to their convergence of trophic habits. In the second subproject, we will map the associated evolution of phenotypes and genotypes relevant to the two trophic habits in flies of the family Calliphoridae. We will model the evolution of phenotypes such as mouthparts and substrate preferences for oviposition and feeding, and associate changes in these phenotypes with changes in substitution rates in candidate genes. Combining data from multiple types on a macro-evolutionary scale, we will elucidate important questions about the origins and evolution of trophic specialization in insects.