Investigating chemosensory evolution in longhorned beetles using a comparative phylogenomic framework that integrates genomic, morphological, and biochemical data

长角甲虫是一个高度多样化的昆虫群体，有超过30，000种。它们以枯木和植物为食;此外，它们还为花授粉。因此，它们具有重要的积极生态影响。然而，有时它们可能是活树木和木材的严重害虫。尽管这一群体的生态意义和丰富的多样性，主要群体的进化关系仍然是一个谜。这项研究将通过对关键物种的基因组测序和比较差异来重建该群体的进化。同时，该项目将探索为什么长角甲虫变得如此多样化，以及这与它们同名的长“角”或触角有何联系。这些角是高度敏感的化学感受器官，用于闻到和品尝环境。显微镜，成像和基因组学的最新技术将用于研究长角甲虫的触角，识别检测气味和味道的基因，并重建这些器官的变化如何有助于该群体的成功。这些信息将有助于控制长角甲虫，这是树木和木材上的害虫，同时避免对具有积极生态影响的物种造成伤害。此外，所获得的知识将有助于提高我们对其他节肢动物群体化学感受的理解，这些节肢动物群体还包括具有重大经济影响的生态有益物种和害虫。最后，该项目将通过培训本科生、研究生和博士后研究人员，向K-12学生讲授昆虫生物多样性，以及广泛分享新数据和教育材料，实现科学指导、教育和推广。 该项目将产生第一个全面的，大规模的天牛，其中包括一个高度多样化的辐射主要是木材喂养的动物，以获得昆虫化学感觉生物学和进化的详细了解。将考虑通过锚定杂交富集测序从600个物种中获得的500个核基因的数据，并将收集有关该组遗传学和形态学的广泛新数据。扫描电子显微镜将被用来比较的多样性和变化的触角化学感受器官在几个长角甲虫谱系。这项研究将产生触角转录组和注释的化学感受器和信息素受体基因库，这将被用来进行受体化学的比较分析。以这种方式，进化的天牛化学通讯将被确定。这项研究还将有助于揭示天牛之间的生态差异如何与化学感受器官和化学感受器库的差异有关。这将提高理解的进化不同模式的天牛化学通讯和阐明这些不同的模式的起源可能会影响diversify.This奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过评估使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准的支持。

Longhorned beetles are a highly diverse insect group with over 30,000 species. They feed on dead wood and also plants; in addition, they pollinate flowers. Thus, they have an important positive ecological impact. However, sometimes they can be serious pests of living trees and timber. In spite of the ecological significance of the group and its rich diversity, the evolutionary relationship of major groups of longhorned beetles remains a mystery. This research will reconstruct the evolution of the group by sequencing genomes of key species and comparing the differences. Simultaneously, the project will explore why longhorned beetles have become so diverse and how this is linked to their namesake long “horns,” or antennae. These horns are highly sensitive chemosensory organs that are used to smell and taste the environment. The latest techniques in microscopy, imaging, and genomics will be used to study longhorned beetle antennae, identify the genes that detect odors and tastes, and reconstruct how changes in these organs have contributed to the success of the group. This information will help assist efforts to control the longhorned beetles that are pests on trees and timber, while avoiding harm to species that have positive ecological impacts. Moreover, the knowledge gained will help improve our understanding of chemosensation in other groups of arthropods that also include ecologically beneficial species and pests with major economic impacts. Finally, this project will enable science mentoring, education, and outreach, through training undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, teaching K-12 students about insect biodiversity, and widely sharing new data and educational materials. This project will produce the first comprehensive, large-scale phylogeny of longhorned beetles, which comprises a highly diverse radiation of primarily wood-feeding animals, in order to obtain a detailed understanding of insect chemosensory biology and evolution. Data from 500 nuclear genes obtained from 600 species via anchored hybrid enrichment sequencing will be considered, and extensive new data on the genetics and morphology of the group will be gathered. Scanning electron microscopy will be used to compare the diversity and variation of antennal chemosensory organs across several longhorned beetle lineages. The research will yield antennal transcriptomes and annotated chemoreceptor and pheromone receptor gene repertoires, which will be used to conduct a comparative analysis of receptor chemistry. In this manner, the evolution of longhorned beetle chemical communication will be determined. The research will also help reveal how ecological distinctions among longhorned beetles are related to differences in chemosensory organs and chemoreceptor repertoires. This will enhance understanding of the evolution of different modes of longhorned beetle chemical communication and elucidate how the origins of these disparate modes may have influenced diversification.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.