| NSF Org: |
IOS Division Of Integrative Organismal Systems |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | September 1, 2015 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | September 1, 2015 |
| Award Number: | 1542395 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Michael Mishkind
IOS Division Of Integrative Organismal Systems BIO Directorate for Biological Sciences |
| Start Date: | September 1, 2015 |
| End Date: | August 31, 2020 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $132,941.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $132,941.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
2601 WOLF VILLAGE WAY RALEIGH NC US 27695-0001 (919)515-2444 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
NC US 27695-7613 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | Dimensions of Biodiversity |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.074 |
ABSTRACT
How is biodiversity generated and maintained? Much evidence suggests that parasites play an important role in both the origin and the maintenance of biological diversity. This project focuses on one of the most diverse groups of organisms on the planet: herbivorous insects, their parasites, and their microbes. The project targets three economically important groups of organisms: plants in the pumpkin/cucumber family, true fruit flies that attack these plants, and parasitic wasps that kill the flies. These wasps belong to a highly diverse and little studied group of species. Each wasp species can kill only one fly species; wasps attacking the "wrong" species of fly die. These bi-directional lethal interactions may be mediated by microbes (in wasps, flies, or both), by traits of flies' immune systems, or both. This project is designed to uncover the mechanisms (evolutionary, ecological, and immunological) affecting interactions that may help explain the diversity of life. Many species of true fruit flies are major agricultural pests; this project will greatly increase knowledge about factors contributing to their susceptibility to parasitoids.
The project tests hypotheses that predict that: 1) defenses of parasites and their hosts affect diversification rates; 2) mechanisms of virulence differ among lineages, and 3) selection arising from predator-prey interactions can affect rates of species-formation. To discover and identify mechanisms of diversification, participants will generate and analyze molecular 1) high-resolution genetic data, multiple nuclear loci, and mtCOI haplotypes to delineate species, and resolve deeper phylogenetic relationships; 2) microsatellites and ddRAD-seq markers to discover and quantify fine-scale genetic diversity within and among populations; 3) phylogenies and field experiments to test hypotheses about mechanisms generating and controlling diversity on ancient, recent, and contemporary timescales. Undergraduate students from all participating colleges and universities will participate in the research.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Fruit flies in the genus Blepharoneura live in the New World Tropics and feed on rainforest vines in the plant family Cucurbitaceae. These flies have come to light as a major example of how diverse interactions among species, including host plants, parasites, predators, and microbial endosymbionts, all drive the origin and maintenance of genetic variation leading to new species. This collaborative study compiled new genomic information from probe-based gene harvests and transcriptomes to develop a new estimate of the evolutionary relationships among the flies and to evaluate the impact of parasitism by wasps on immune genes that impact escape from parasitism. Genetic data are used to frame and inform tests of evolutionary hypotheses concerning the rate and pattern of fly diversification and examine the implication of these findings for other organisms, especially host plants, microbes, and parasitoids. These data add to a multi-laboratory effort to evaluate the evolution of species interactions in this tropical system. New analysis strategies designed to handle very large datasets using high performance computing clusters are employed to investigate evolutionary variation within the sample data. Project data are used to extend understanding of immune genes that can reveal the influence of parasite pressure on immune gene evolution. Project results allow for estimates of the genetic history of these flies using computational methods and models that help predict the biodiversity of this system. The project involves academic training and a program of educational outreach, with material disseminated through collaborating museums and academic institutions, including development of publications, training courses in comparative genomics and bioinformatics, and resources for undergraduate and K-12 levels.
Last Modified: 01/25/2021
Modified by: Brian M Wiegmann
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