Deciphering the evolution of galling by gall wasps (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae), using a comparative and integrative approach

使用比较和综合方法解读瘿蜂（膜翅目：Cynipidae）的瘿虫进化

• 批准号: 1856626
• 负责人: Andrew Deans
• 金额: $ 81.9万
• 依托单位: Pennsylvania State Univ University Park
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2019-07-01 至 2025-06-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1856626&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Deciphering; evolution; galling; gall; wasps

Insects that consume plant tissues have an inordinate impact on the health, survival and evolution of plant species, including all agricultural crops. In some cases, insect herbivores also alter the developmental and physiological programs of their host-plants, which cause the plants to produce more tissue for the benefit of the insect. The mechanisms by which insects cause these plant responses and the pathways by which insects evolved these remarkable abilities are largely unknown. This project will examine the evolution of these complex plant-herbivore interactions using the gall-wasp family, Cynipidae, as a model system. This family contains thousands of species that manipulate host-plants to create tumor-like structures, called galls, in which wasp larvae feed while being protected from predators and the outside environment. Galls vary tremendously in their architecture and location on the plant depending on the wasp species that initiated the gall. Researchers will generate genome-scale data to test how gall-wasps evolved the ability to make galls and how plant gall architecture has evolved over time. By examining the anatomy and physiology of these wasps, researchers will also shed light on how gall inducers are able to manipulate host-plants. The project will support the training of multiple early-career researchers, including members of underrepresented groups, and develop curricula that will improve insect biology education. Public outreach events will highlight the ecological and economic impact of insects in our society and will use the rich history of gall biology to engage diverse audiences. The research team will resolve the evolutionary history of Cynipidae to determine whether gall induction evolved more than once in the family, establish whether viral or microbial symbionts are associated with galling, and determine how wasp species shifted among host-plant species over time. Researchers will reconstruct Cynipidae phylogeny using sequence data from 2,000 loci of ultra-conserved elements from more than 200 exemplar taxa, including every tribe and almost all genera. The evolution of gall induction strategies will be inferred from this tree using relevant meta-analyses, including ancestral states reconstruction, divergence time estimation, and comparative methods. Adult (venom) and larval (iliac, salivary) glands will be characterized for gross morphology, chemical composition, and transcriptomic profiles to uncover possible gall-inducing gene products, such as plant hormone mimics. Other outcomes of the research will include new diagnostic tools, expanded collections and genomic repositories, as well as a publicly-accessible database that will collate and synthesize historical gall-wasp research to accelerate description and discovery.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

食用植物组织的昆虫对包括所有农作物在内的植物物种的健康、生存和进化产生过度影响。在某些情况下，食草昆虫也会改变其寄主植物的发育和生理程序，这会导致植物产生更多的组织以利于昆虫。昆虫引起这些植物反应的机制以及昆虫进化这些非凡能力的途径在很大程度上是未知的。本项目将研究这些复杂的植物草食动物的相互作用的演变使用的瘿蜂家庭，Cynipidae，作为一个模型系统。这个家族包含成千上万的物种，它们操纵宿主植物创造肿瘤样结构，称为虫瘿，黄蜂幼虫在其中进食，同时免受捕食者和外部环境的影响。虫瘿的结构和在植物上的位置有很大的不同，这取决于引发虫瘿的黄蜂种类。研究人员将生成基因组规模的数据，以测试瘿蜂如何进化出制造瘿的能力，以及植物瘿结构如何随着时间的推移而进化。通过研究这些黄蜂的解剖学和生理学，研究人员还将阐明瘿诱导剂如何能够操纵宿主植物。该项目将支持多个早期职业研究人员的培训，包括代表性不足的群体的成员，并开发将改善昆虫生物学教育的课程。公众宣传活动将突出昆虫对我们社会的生态和经济影响，并将利用丰富的虫瘿生物学历史吸引不同的观众。该研究小组将解决Cynipidae的进化历史，以确定该家族中的瘿诱导是否进化了不止一次，确定病毒或微生物共生体是否与瘿有关，并确定黄蜂物种如何随着时间的推移在宿主植物物种之间转移。研究人员将使用来自200多个范例分类群的2,000个超保守元件位点的序列数据重建Cynipidae的遗传学，包括每个部落和几乎所有属。通过相关的元分析，包括祖先状态重建、分歧时间估计和比较方法，从这棵树中推断出瘿诱导策略的演变。成人（毒液）和幼虫（髂，唾液）腺的总体形态，化学成分和转录谱的特点，以揭示可能的胆诱导基因产物，如植物激素模拟。该研究的其他成果将包括新的诊断工具、扩大的收藏和基因库，以及一个公众可访问的数据库，该数据库将整理和综合历史上的瘿蜂研究，以加速描述和发现。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

项目成果

Extreme acidity in a cynipid gall: a potential new defensive strategy against natural enemies

犬瘿中的极度酸性：针对天敌的潜在新防御策略

• DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2022.0513
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: Biology Letters
• 影响因子: 3.3
• 作者: Guiguet, Antoine;McCartney, Nathaniel B.;Gilbert, Kadeem J.;Tooker, John F.;Deans, Andrew R.;Ali, Jared G.;Hines, Heather M.
• 通讯作者: Hines, Heather M.

Oak Galls Exhibit Ant Dispersal Convergent with Myrmecochorous Seeds

橡树瘿表现出蚂蚁传播与密生菌种子的融合

• DOI: 10.1086/720283
• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: The American Naturalist
• 作者: Warren, Robert J.;Guiguet, Antoine;Mokadam, Chloe;Tooker, John F.;Deans, Andrew R.
• 通讯作者: Deans, Andrew R.