DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Evolution of the weevils and development of the weevil rostrum (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea)

论文研究：象甲的进化和象头的发育(鞘翅目：象甲总科)该项目专注于阐明象头壳的发育，特别是细长的鼻子，这一结构与它们相当大的进化成功有关。将调查在农业、林业和/或园艺业中至关重要的关键象虫物种的鼻子的形成，用于在植物组织中产生取食或卵子沉积的孔。该项目将解决导致鼻子形成和总体结构变化的遗传因素，以及多样化发作的时机。它还将首次全面考虑象虫的进化和那些推动它们成功的因素。象甲是所有生物中种类最多的，大约有6万种。由于它们对自然和农业生态系统的影响，它们具有极其重要的经济意义，破坏了所有主要的植物种群，是最严重的节肢动物种群之一。解决那些导致象甲显着多样性的因素将使人们能够更好地理解它们在不同植物科和组织上的专门化。深入了解那些推动它们多样化和进化成功的遗传因素，将为生物防治研究开辟新的途径，也将为象虫生物学的基础研究开辟新的途径。

Dissertation Research: Evolution of the Weevils and Development of the Weevil Rostrum (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea)The project focuses on elucidating the development of the weevil head capsule, in particular the elongate snout, a structure that is implicated in their considerable evolutionary success. Key weevil species critical in agriculture, forestry, and/or horticulture will be investigated for the formation of the snout, used in producing holes for feeding or egg deposition in plant tissues. This project will resolve those genetic elements responsible for snout formation and alterations in its overall structure, as well as the timing of episodes of diversification. It will also provide the first comprehensive consideration of weevil evolution and those factors driving their success. Weevils rank among the most diverse of all organisms, with around 60,000 species. They are of extreme economic importance owing to their impact on natural and agricultural ecosystems, damaging all major groups of plants and representing one of the most serious lineages of arthropod pests. Resolution of those factors that have led to the remarkable diversity of weevils will permit a refined understanding of their specialization on different plant families and tissues. Insight into those genetic factors which have fueled their diversification and evolutionary success will develop new avenues for research in biological control as well as fundamentals of weevil biology.