Collaborative Research: Spatial phylogenomics and diet evolution of the megadiverse plant bugs (Hemiptera: Miridae)

这个合作研究项目旨在调查巨型植物昆虫的进化，昆虫家族Miridae。植物昆虫包括超过11,350种已描述的物种，是20个物种最丰富的昆虫科之一。它们既是作物害虫，又是生态系统中的有益捕食者。通过以前nsf资助的项目，已经为Miridae编制了一个庞大的生物多样性数据集。然而，由于缺乏全面的系统发育假设，该数据集在研究生物地理历史和寄主植物进化方面的潜力仍未得到开发。研究小组将利用超保守元素（UCE）数据构建植物昆虫的系统发育。这将有助于重建强大的部落和亚部落层面的关系，同时调查该群体的时间和饮食演变。该项目还将研究北美西部植物昆虫的生物地理历史和寄主植物相互作用，北美西部是植物昆虫多样性的热点之一。最后，研究小组将研究生物多样性热点地区加州植物区（CA-FP）植物昆虫的系统发育多样性，揭示其模式是否与植物和脊椎动物的记录相似。作为更广泛影响的一部分，该研究团队将培养一名博士后研究员和两名女博士生，为科学知识的进步和促进学术界的多样性做出贡献。本科生将通过暑期实习和独立研究参与，重点关注加州的昆虫生物多样性。此外，将开设一门关于昆虫生物多样性和保护的课程，特别关注植物昆虫和CA-FP，并将扩展现有课程，以突出加州的生物多样性。额外的培训机会包括一个关于真正的昆虫生物多样性的短期课程和国际Miroid研讨会。广泛使用的植物昆虫系统目录将被更新并迁移到分类单元工作中，以确保获得准确和最新的信息。尽管具有重要的经济意义和多样性，但目前对Miridae的几种系统发育假设是分类单元贫乏、解决不佳和相互矛盾的。这个项目有三个主要目标。该团队将估计七个亚科的第一个强大的系统发育，并将子项目集中在三个最大的亚科Mirinae， Orthotylinae和phyllinae，推断进化时间表，并调查饮食转变。虽然大多数植物昆虫的特有范围很小，并且植物噬菌谱系通常包含以单一寄主植物物种为食的物种，但一些物种的种群包括许多植物科。植物昆虫的这些属性将使我们能够测试寄主植物驱动的多样化和新北极和CA-FP生物群的生物地理历史的假设。植物昆虫是研究CA-FP系统发育多样性模式的一个很好的系统，这是唯一一个完全位于美国大陆的生物多样性热点：加州约700种已描述的Miridae中有31%是地方性的，大多数已在分类修订研究中得到处理，分布范围已得到很好的记录。我们将把Miridae（在CA-FP中被详细研究的第一个昆虫类群）的系统发育多样性模式与植物和脊椎动物中发现的系统发育多样性模式进行对比，从而将昆虫列入保护地图上的建议。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This collaborative research project aims to investigate the evolution of the megadiverse plant bugs, the insect family Miridae. Plant bugs comprise over 11,350 described species and rank among the 20 most species-rich insect families. They play significant roles as both crop pests and beneficial predators in ecosystems. A massive biodiversity dataset has been compiled for Miridae through previous NSF-funded initiatives. However, due to the absence of comprehensive phylogenetic hypotheses, this dataset's potential to investigate biogeographic history and host plant evolution remains untapped. The research team will construct a phylogeny of plant bugs using ultraconserved element (UCE) data. This will enable the reconstruction of robust tribal and subtribal-level relationships, while investigating the temporal and dietary evolution of the group. The project will also examine the biogeographic history and host plant interactions of selected groups of plant bugs in Western North America, one of the hotspots of plant bug diversity. Finally, the team will study the phylogenetic diversity of plant bugs in the biodiversity hotspot California Floristic Province (CA-FP), revealing if patterns are similar to those documented for plants and vertebrates. As part of the broader impacts, the research team will train a postdoctoral researcher and two female Ph.D. students, contributing to the advancement of scientific knowledge and promoting diversity in academia. Undergraduate students will be involved through summer internships and independent research, focusing on insect biodiversity in California. Additionally, a course on insect biodiversity and conservation, specifically focusing on plant bugs and the CA-FP, will be developed, and an existing course will be expanded to highlight California biodiversity. Additional training opportunities include a short course on true bug biodiversity and an International Miroid Workshop. The widely used Systematic Catalog of Plant Bugs will be updated and migrated to Taxon Works, ensuring access to accurate and up-to-date information.Despite both economic importance and diversity, the few current phylogenetic hypotheses of Miridae are taxon-poor, poorly resolved, and conflicting. This project has three major aims. The team will estimate the first robust phylogeny across the seven subfamilies and with subprojects focusing on the three largest subfamilies Mirinae, Orthotylinae, and Phylinae, infer evolutionary timelines, and investigate diet transitions. Though most plant bug species have small endemic ranges and phytophagous lineages typically contain species that feed on a single host plant species, some species’ repertoires comprise many plant families. These attributes of plant bugs will allow us to test hypotheses on host plant driven diversification and the biogeographic history of biota in the Nearctic and the CA-FP. Plant bugs are an excellent system to investigate patterns of phylogenetic diversity in the CA-FP, the only biodiversity hotspot that resides entirely within the continental United States: 31% of the ~700 described species of Miridae in California are endemic, most have been treated in taxonomic revisionary studies, and distribution ranges are well documented. We will contrast phylogenetic diversity patterns in Miridae – the first insect group to be studied in detail in the CA-FP – with those found in plants and vertebrates to put insects on the map for conservation recommendations.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.