Systematics and Mechanisms of Speciation in Mites

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Many kinds of mites and insects, including numerous pests of crops and livestock, feed on only a single kind of plant or animal, or a few closely related kinds. Sometimes genetic changes, including the origination of new species, produce a shift in the diet of these mites and insects, creating new pest problems. The proposed work will investigate how a group of mite species that feed on particular plants originated from ancestors that fed on different kinds of plants. In addition, the question of why these mites are so specific in their feeding habits will be studied. Because a great deal is already known about the ecology and behavior of this group of mites, a study of their genetic history is likely to be especially valuable to our understanding of basic principles of how mites and insects become specialized in their feeding habits, and how these habits may change.