CAREER: Macroevolutionary Trends of Defenses and Counterdefenses in an Ancient Plant-Insect Interaction

University Of Arizona, Tucson AZ

Investigators

Abstract

The goal of this grant is to study the coevolution between the plant genus Bursera and its herbivores, the beetle genus Blepharida. These are highly diverse, tropical groups with spectacular adaptations and counteradaptations. In Bursera, resin is stored in canals that run throughout the leaves. In some species, the resins are pressurized and when leaves are damaged, an abundant release of resins is triggered. Besides being toxic, resin solidifies when exposed to air and may entomb small insects completely. Yet some Blepharida species can neutralize Bursera's resin defense by severing the leaf veins to stop the flow of resins before feeding on the leaves. Using DNA-based family trees of insects and plants, I will investigate the role of plant defenses in directing evolutionary host shifts by Blepharida. I will also determine the historical correlations of Bursera's defenses with the insect counterdefenses, and the time when they originated. This grant also seeks to help expand the undergraduate and graduate basic science curriculum in the Department of Entomology at the University of Arizona, through the developing of courses in insect and plant biology and to help undergraduates develop their teaching skills by training them in teaching natural history in the field and lab.