DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Evolution of convergent functional systems in a hyperdiverse clade of parasitic wasps (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Cryptini)

趋同进化——在独立的谱系中存在相似的特征——是进化生物学中最古老、最迷人的模式之一。融合塑造了生活的方方面面？因此，了解它对我们了解生物变异和进化至关重要。尽管如此，趋同的特征往往只是定性的记录。这项研究将使用严谨的方法来调查相似的生活策略如何使不同昆虫群体的体型趋同。隐蜂是一种占统治地位但鲜为人知的寄生性昆虫。它们的寄主在不同程度上被隐藏起来，从模仿叶卷和细枝到原木和粘土巢。那些攻击隐蔽昆虫的物种已经进化出了许多适应能力来寻找和接近它们的宿主。我们将研究这些特征在一个复杂的功能系统中联系在一起的假设，以及生活策略的趋同对隐蜂的体型施加限制的假设。除了该项目产生的科学产品外，利用美国自然历史博物馆无与伦比的科学教育资源，外展和指导工作将广泛传播有关趋同进化和寄生蜂的科学知识。本项目将使用系统发育框架来研究趋同生命策略在隐蜂占据的形态空间中的影响。这将需要对隐蜂之间的进化关系进行全面的分析，数据来源于DNA序列和形态特征。统计方法将用于重建寄主位置适应的祖先特征，并检验生活史特征与多种形态特征之间相关性的假设。最后，将使用一系列数量特征和测量来生成身体形状（形态空间）的多维估计，从而允许形态重叠和收敛的定量测试

Convergent evolution - the presence of similar characteristics among independent lineages - is one of the oldest and most fascinating patterns in evolutionary biology. Convergence shapes so many aspects of life?s diversity that understanding it is essential to our knowledge of biological variation and evolution. In spite of that, convergent traits have often been documented only qualitatively. This study will use a rigorous methodological approach to investigate how similar life strategies can produce convergence in the body shape of a diverse group of insects. Cryptine wasps are a dominant but poorly known group of parasitic insects. Their hosts are concealed to various degrees, from mimicking leaf rolls and twigs to tree logs and clay nests. Species attacking insects that are deeply concealed have evolved a number of adaptations to find and reach their hosts. We will investigate the hypothesis that these features are linked in a complex functional system, and that the convergence of life strategies imposes constraints on the body shape of cryptine wasps. In addition to the scientific products resulting from this project, outreach and mentoring work will broadly disseminate scientific knowledge about convergent evolution and parasitic wasps, taking advantage of the unparalleled resources for scientific education available at the American Museum of Natural History. This project will use a phylogenetic framework to investigate the impact of convergent life strategies in the morphospace occupied by cryptine wasps. This will require a comprehensive analysis of the evolutionary relationships among cryptine wasps, with data derived from both DNA sequences and morphological characters. Statistical methods will be used to to reconstruct the ancestral features for host location adaptations and to test hypotheses of correlation among life history traits and multiple morphological characters. Finally, a series of quantitative traits and measurements will be used to generate a multi-dimensional estimation of body shape (morphospace), allowing for quantitative tests of morphological overlap and convergence