Understanding generalism and specialism in parasitoid wasps: an evolutionary, genomic and behavioural perspective

了解寄生黄蜂的普遍性和专业性：进化、基因组和行为的视角

• 批准号: 2547073
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University College London
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2021 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2547073
• 关键词: Understanding; generalism; specialism; parasitoid; wasps

One of the overarching questions in ecology and evolution is understanding how resources are divided between species; different patterns of resource use shape the ecological landscape. Some species are highly flexible in their resource use, whilst others only exploit a narrow subset of resources available to them. These are respectively known as ecological generalists and specialists. Understanding the differences between the two has major implications for a variety of research applications, including speciation and adaptive radiations, ecological community structure, responses to climate change and invasive species management. The ability of a species to exploit a given resource is influenced by its morphological, physiological and behavioural traits, which are often the result of its environment and underlying genetics. In this project, I will be focusing on specialism and generalism in parasitoid wasps, a large, diverse clade of insects which exhibit vast differences in dietary preferences. I will use these wasps as model organisms to address outstanding questions on the evolution of generalism and specialism, as well as the factors underlying these shifts using evolutionary, genomic and behavioural approaches.

生态学和进化论中最重要的问题之一是理解资源如何在物种之间分配；不同的资源使用模式塑造了生态景观。一些物种在资源使用方面具有高度的灵活性，而另一些物种则只利用它们可用的一小部分资源。这些人分别被称为生态学通才和专家。了解两者之间的差异对各种研究应用具有重大意义，包括物种形成和适应性辐射、生态群落结构、对气候变化的反应和入侵物种管理。一个物种开发特定资源的能力受到其形态、生理和行为特征的影响，而这些特征往往是其环境和潜在遗传学的结果。在这个项目中，我将专注于寄生蜂的专业性和通用性，寄生蜂是一大类不同的昆虫，在饮食偏好上表现出巨大的差异。我将用这些黄蜂作为模型生物体，用进化论、基因组学和行为学的方法来解决共性和专业性的进化以及这些转变背后的因素的突出问题。