Collaborative Proposal: Phylogeny of the Bat Flies of the World - Insights into Trends in Host Associations and Ectoparasitism

蝙蝠苍蝇是蝙蝠的专属寄生虫，是高度专门化的吸血双翅目昆虫，数量不多，但种类多样。它们戏剧性地偏离了总体苍蝇身体计划，为进化研究提供了独特的机会。蝙蝠蝇的分类处于不稳定的状态，从来没有在严格的系统发育假说下进行过测试。这一合作的跨学科研究和培训项目将汇集分子和形态数据，以回答有关蝙蝠苍蝇及其寄主协会进化的突出问题。将对该系统的形态和生态方面进行研究，以追踪体外寄生适应随时间和跨线的演变。这个项目代表了第一个全面的、基于系统发育的蝙蝠及其近亲调查，并将提高我们对昆虫寄生进化的理解。结果将在科学期刊上传播，通过一个有数字图片库和生态信息的网站，通过MorphBank图书馆和GenBank。数据将被纳入美国国家科学基金会的飞行生命树倡议。该项目还补充和支持了国家科学基金会资助的菲尔德自然历史博物馆蝙蝠收藏品。最后，在庞塞波多黎各大学的合作下，一个名为“真实实验”的三个模块的研究课程将使学生参与跨学科的科学研究。

Bat flies constitute a small but diverse group of highly specialized bloodsucking Diptera that are obligate parasites of bats. They deviate dramatically from the general fly body plan, offering unique opportunities for evolutionary studies. Bat fly classification is in a precarious state, never having been tested under stringent phylogenetic hypotheses. This collaborative, interdisciplinary research and training project will assemble molecular and morphological data to answer outstanding questions concerning the evolution of bat flies and their host associations. Morphological and ecological aspects of this system will be investigated to trace the evolution of ectoparasitic adaptation through time and across linages. This project represents the first comprehensive, phylogenetically-based investigation of bat flies and their relatives, and will improve our understanding of the evolution of parasitism in insects. Results will be disseminated in scientific journals, through a website with digital image galleries and ecological information, through the MorphBank Library, and through GenBank. Data will be incorporated into the NSF FLY Tree of Life initiative. This project also complements and supports the NSF funded bat fly collections at the Field Museum of Natural History. Finally, in collaboration with the Universidad de Puerto Rico, Ponce, a three-module research course called the "REAL EXPERIMENT" will engage students in interdisciplinary scientific research.