Location: Livestock Arthropod Pest Research Unit
Project Number: 3094-32000-041-011-R
Project Type: Reimbursable Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Jul 1, 2020
End Date: Jun 30, 2025
Objective:
I. Generate Highly-Multiplexed Amplicon-based Phylogenomic (HiMAP) data across multiple families of Diptera
I-A. Utilize comparative genomics of existing resources to identify and characterize phylogenetically informative markers at variable phylogenetic scales, focusing on Tephritidae and Calliphoridae
I-B. Generate phylogenomic datasets for Tephritidae
I-C. Generate phylogenomic datasets for Calliphoridae
I-D. Generate complementary COI datasets to act as a baseline for systematics/diagnostics
II. Demonstrate the utility of these diagnostic markers for resolving systematics, performing species delimitation/identification, and evaluating population genomic patterns
II-A. Phylogenomic analyses for systematic inference of Tephritidae
II-B. Phylogenomic analyses for systematic inference of Calliphoridae
II-C. Using genomic data for species delimitation/identification in species complexes of Tephritidae
II-D. Species delimitation and population genomics of widespread pests in Calliphoridae
III. Evaluate and demonstrate the utility, applicability, and universality of these diagnostic markers at multiple phylogenetic scales
III-A. Evaluate the efficacy of diagnostic markers at broad (Diptera) and fine (population-level) phylogenetic scales
III-B. Develop wet-lab techniques for rapid and cost-effective sequencing of diagnostic markers
III-C. Generate diagnostic data from contemporary specimens of interest (intercepted specimens)
III-D. Develop bioinformatic tools to facilitate the analysis of diagnostic marker data
Approach:
This project will evaluate cutting-edge phylogenomic approaches (https://doi.org/10.1111/1755-0998.12783) for their utility in a diagnostic context and create laboratory workflows and analytical tools for cost-effective and rapid use of such diagnostic markers. By focusing on plant and animal pests in the economically damaging dipteran families Tephritidae and Calliphoridae, the proposed research will demonstrate the utility, applicability, and universality of molecular diagnostic markers at multiple phylogenetic scales (i.e. Diptera-wide down to species complexes and population-level assessments of widespread species). The proposed research has several expected outcomes, in both basic and applied settings, including: the most data rich systematic datasets generated for both tephritids and calliphorids, which will be used to generate phylogenomic hypotheses to reevaluate historically debated relationships within these groups (e.g. subgeneric relationships within tephritids and species-level relationships within calliphorids); robust population-level datasets to understand diversity of species complexes and range-wide population structure; development and demonstration of user-friendly molecular diagnostic tools for species identification and geographic source determination; creation of bioinformatic tools to facilitate rapid and user-friendly analysis of data generated with such diagnostic markers.
