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

生态学和进化的首要问题之一是了解资源如何在物种之间分配；不同的资源利用模式塑造了生态景观。一些物种在资源利用方面非常灵活，而另一些物种只利用它们可用的一小部分资源。这些人分别被称为生态通才和专家。了解两者之间的差异对多种研究应用具有重要意义，包括物种形成和适应性辐射、生态群落结构、气候变化响应和入侵物种管理。一个物种开发特定资源的能力受其形态、生理和行为特征的影响，这些特征往往是其环境和潜在遗传的结果。在这个项目中，我将专注于寄生蜂的专门性和普遍性，寄生蜂是一种大型的、多样化的昆虫分支，它们在饮食偏好上表现出巨大的差异。我将用这些黄蜂作为模式生物来解决关于通用性和专用性进化的突出问题，以及使用进化、基因组和行为方法来解释这些转变背后的因素。

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.