Collaborative Research: An integrative approach to understanding the evolution and systematics of Chalcidoidea: A recent megaradiation of Hymenoptera

合作研究：了解小球纲进化和系统学的综合方法：膜翅目最近的大辐射

• 批准号: 1555790
• 负责人: James Woolley
• 金额: $ 8.94万
• 依托单位: Texas A&M AgriLife Research
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-03-01 至 2021-02-28
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1555790&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; integrative; approach; understanding

Chalcidoidea (jewel wasps) are among the most species rich, ecologically important, and biologically diverse groups of terrestrial organisms. Their diversity is staggering, with more than 500,000 species thought to exist. These minute wasps (mostly 1-2 mm in size) are numerically abundant and common in almost every habitat. The smallest of these wasps are smaller than a typical single-celled organism, and yet the adults can fly, locate their hosts, deposit their eggs, and as larvae, consume their insect hosts. Most chalcidoid wasps are parasitoids; they feed on their insect hosts, eventually killing them. A few groups have also evolved to attack plant hosts and some serve as pollinators. Species attack all life stages from eggs to adults, and live and feed either internally or externally. Some are parasitoids of other parasitoids and some may even feed on their own species. Because they kill other insects, these wasps are extremely important for the control of pests of agricultural and forest crops, as well as vectors of human disease and veterinary pests. The economic importance of these wasps in pest management is unparalleled. They are widely used in biological control programs against major pests, with outcomes documented to result in decreases in pesticide, increases in yield, and in landmark cases direct savings of billions of dollars or permanent pest control. The evolutionary events leading to this enormous diversity in morphology, biology and rates of diversification are poorly understood, leading to an artificial system of taxonomic classification. In this research project, researchers will use a diverse array of molecular, morphological and bioinformatics approaches to develop a solid understanding of the hierarchy of relationships across the entire group. These relationships will then be used to reclassify major groups to reflect common ancestry, to provide a framework for a web-accessible portal to manage and deliver information on their diverse biology, and to explore the evolutionary changes that have driven and shaped this enormous radiation of terrestrial insects.The objectives of the research project are to 1) generate a robust molecular phylogeny of the Chalcidoidea using new data from transcriptomes and targeted DNA enrichment for over 400 species, 2) generate morphological data for over 200 fossils from Eocene and Cretaceous amber and combine these with a comprehensive morphological data set for extant taxa, 3) develop a revised classification of Chalcidoidea in book form through a series of workshops and worldwide collaborations, and 4) make available information on the taxonomy, biology and distribution of over 31,000 available names and information in over 40,000 references. The project will train two postdoctoral researchers, one graduate student and several undergraduates. To involve the wider scientific community, a worldwide group of biocontrol researchers and taxonomists will develop a new classification for Chalcidoidea. With groups of Research and Extension Specialists, the project will develop posters, fliers, specimen education kits, and other educational materials for use in the classroom and by extension specialists, agricultural advisors, master naturalists and master gardeners, and the general public to develop a greater interest and understanding of this charismatic and and important group of insects.

黄蜂总科(宝石黄蜂)是种类最丰富、具有重要生态意义和生物多样性的陆地生物群之一。它们的多样性令人震惊，据信有超过50万个物种存在。这些微小的黄蜂(大多1-2毫米大小)数量丰富，几乎在每个栖息地都很常见。其中最小的黄蜂比典型的单细胞有机体小，但成虫可以飞行，定位寄主，产卵，作为幼虫，吞噬它们的昆虫寄主。大多数黄蜂都是寄生蜂；它们以昆虫宿主为食，最终杀死它们。一些种群也进化成攻击植物寄主，一些种群充当传粉者。物种攻击从卵到成虫的所有生命阶段，并在内部或外部生活和觅食。有些是其他寄生蜂的寄生蜂，有些甚至可能以自己的物种为食。由于它们杀死其他昆虫，这些黄蜂对控制农林作物害虫以及人类疾病和兽医害虫的媒介至关重要。这些黄蜂在害虫管理中的经济重要性是无与伦比的。它们被广泛用于主要害虫的生物防治项目，有记录的结果导致杀虫剂减少，产量增加，在具有里程碑意义的案例中，直接节省数十亿美元或永久控制虫害。导致形态、生物学和多样性速度如此巨大的多样性的进化事件鲜为人知，导致了一个人工的分类系统。在这个研究项目中，研究人员将使用一系列不同的分子、形态和生物信息学方法来对整个集团的关系等级进行坚实的理解。然后，这些关系将被用来对主要类群进行重新分类，以反映共同的祖先，为网络可访问的门户提供一个框架，以管理和提供关于它们多样化生物的信息，并探索驱动和塑造这种巨大陆地昆虫辐射的进化变化。研究项目的目标是：1)利用来自转录的新数据和针对400多个物种的定向DNA浓缩，生成一个强有力的Chalcidoidae分子系统学；2)生成200多个始新世和白垩纪琥珀化石的形态数据，并将这些数据与现有分类群的全面形态数据集相结合；3)通过一系列研讨会和全球合作，以书籍形式制定Chalcidoidae的修订分类，4)在40,000多篇参考文献中提供关于31,000多个可用名称和信息的分类、生物学和分布信息。该项目将培养两名博士后研究人员、一名研究生和几名本科生。为了让更广泛的科学界参与进来，一个由全球生物防治研究人员和分类学家组成的小组将为Chalcidoidae制定一个新的分类方法。该项目将与研究和推广专家小组一起，开发海报、传单、标本教育工具包和其他教育材料，供课堂和推广专家、农业顾问、博物学家和园艺大师以及普通公众使用，以培养对这一富有魅力和重要的昆虫群体的更大兴趣和了解。