INV-EVO will frame in an evolutionary perspective life history traits of three key megadiverse players, caenogastropods, weevils and calyptrate flies, defining a solid DNA-based phylogeny integrating molecular and morpho-anatomical data. Previous results have provided data for a proposal to NSF (USA) submitted by a collaborative team including the PI. Samples collected during past EVONEO projects allow to remarkably enlarge the coverage without the cost of fieldtrip.
Why caenogastropods, weevils and calyptrates? Caenogastropoda represent the largest clade of extant molluscs, extremely diversified in marine, freshwater and terrestrial habitat, dominant members in all marine habitats, playing almost all ecological roles. Weevils, with >60000 known species, are the most diverse and abundant phytophagous insect group on Earth, including agricultural and forestry pests. Calyptrates includes 20000 known species in 13 families, are a relatively young clade, and this major radiation of flies includes the most ecologically, economically, and medically important insects on Earth. All are excellent experimental models from baseline to applied Biology research. Adequate knowledge of their evolutionary biology is highly demanded, yet missing, particularly the phylogenetic and ecological dimensions.
Background- PI co-authored the first DNA-based phylogenetic hypothesis for neogastropods, showing that wider taxo-genomic sampling improves resolution. EVONEO has assembled transcriptomic NGS last generation markers for invertebrate phylogenetics.
INV-EVO Aims- A solid phylogenetic framework for caenogastropods, weevils and calyptrates, integrating anatomical and DNA data, based on the largest possible sampling.
Project- Identify new markers by NGS exon capture to test monophyly & define reliable molecular phylogeny of caenogastropods, weevils and calyptrates, and of their major lineages; analyse evolution of biological features, focusing on diversification of feeding strategies.
After the project EVONEO funded by Sapienza, we have produced a phylogenetic hypothesis of the neogastropod molluscs, based on over 1,700 exons spanning ~360 Kb. and new phylogenetic hypotheses for Ocenebrinae, Columbellidae, Mitridae, Raphitomidae, and a series of works at the level of species, proving that the new approach works well from the species to the order level, which was exactly what we were searching.
The major innovation in this project consists in the fact that the molecular markers for the phylogenetic analyses will be identified in an exon capture fashion, by bioinformatics analysis of large genomic datasets.
Such a robust phylogenetic hypothesis based on a last generation dataset will represent the preliminary results to apply with more success probability to EU (ERC) and USA (NSF) funding bodies, as envisaged by the caenogastropod network to which the PI belongs