Collaborative Research: Repeated Adaptive Radiation in the Coevolutionary History of Birds and Feather Lice

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This project uses Avian feather lice as a model system to better understand how ecological interactions shape evolutionary patterns. Avian feather lice have repeatedly evolved particular morphologies, they live on different parts of the host's body and they differ in how they escape host defense. For example, some species of lice have evolved to be very thin and narrow and can fit between the barbs of the wing feathers where they cannot be easily removed, while others have evolved large mandibles to bite down on the feathers. The purpose of this study is to better understand the process of how these repeated adaptations have occurred in response to interactions with their hosts. This proposal will involve extensive training of three graduate students and a postdoc in both molecular and morphological analysis and support further development of the software aTRAM. A module for undergraduate education will be developed in collaboration with NSF funded Biodiversity Literacy in Undergraduate Education (BLUE). To study repeated evolutionary adaptation this study will use genomic, morphological, and species interaction data to elucidate the pattern and processes underlying repeated co-evolutionary events. The main objectives are to 1) Sequence whole genomes of 280 species of feather lice to determine the number of repeated adaptive radiations in this group; 2) Use morphological measurements from both CT scanned and slide mounted specimens to examine morphological convergence with each ecomorph; 3) Use these sequenced genomes to identify genes with signatures of selection that are associated with ecomorph transitions; and 4) Compare the phylogeny of the lice with that of their avian hosts to evaluate whether ecomorph transitions occur more often at major host switching events.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.