RUI Collaborative Research: Untangling tropical diversity: a phylogenetic analysis of tritrophic interactions

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Plants and insects represent the majority of multicellular species on Earth. Most of those species are tropical; yet, most species in the tropics remain undiscovered. The proposed research has three primary goals: 1) discover and describe species of parasitic wasps that attack a very diverse group of plant-feeding flies; 2) discover patterns of host-use by the wasps; and, 3) reconstruct the history of the wasps' diversification (the evolution of many wasp species). To reach these goals, the team of investigators and their students will collect and rear insects, analyze the DNA of immature stages and adults, and analyze physical traits of adults. This project addresses a major biological question: is diversification mediated by interactions among organisms or is diversification an ecologically neutral process? The project focuses on three groups of economically important organisms: plants related to pumpkins; fruit flies related to major agricultural pests; and wasps that attack the flies and are potentially important for pest control. Undergraduate education is a key component of the project. Undergraduates will be involved in all aspects of the research, including fieldwork in the tropics, molecular data collection and analysis in the laboratory, and communication and dissemination of the research.