Dimensions US Sao Paulo: Evolutionary and genetic origins of diverse trophic specializations in blow flies

Blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) are found in nearly every environment as decomposers of carrion and organic matter. A minority of species appear to have independently evolved a parasitic lifestyle and some, such as the New World screwworm, are devastating pests of livestock. This remarkable diversity in dietary habit is seen across many of the ~1,200 species known globally, and as such blow flies can serve as excellent models to understand the evolutionary and genetic origins of feeding specializations.

However, due to the significant lack of phylogenetic, genetic, and ecological information, the origin and evolutionary history of these diverse feeding habits in blow flies is understudied. This research will use blow flies as a model group to address an unresolved question surrounding the evolutionary and genetic origins of their dietary diversity.

The factors contributing to the rise of this diversity in blow flies will pave the way for similar studies in other animal groups across the tree of life, to further fuel our understanding of global biodiversity. Through this project, students will be trained in international scientific research, an on-line data resource for blow flies will be created, and several outreach activities will be undertaken to engage the general public in the science.

In collaboration with scientists from Brazil, this project will investigate the causes and consequences of diverse feeding habits across three integrated dimensions of blow fly research: 1) phylogenetic: reconstructing the evolutionary history of blow flies and mapping feeding habit transitions across the family; 2) genetic/genomic: identifying genes associated with specialized feeding habits, and assessing whether they are consistent at the family, population and strain level; and 3) functional: using CRISPR/Cas9 to knockout the identified genes to determine their roles in food source preference. Further, we will investigate the role of the gut microbiome in mediating diet adaptations and maintaining diverse biotic interactions.

Integration of research findings across laboratories studying multiple lineages of blow flies, will allow key questions surrounding the origin and maintenance of diverse feeding habits and their impact on lineage diversity to be addressed.

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.