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

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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