Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE
(N/A)
RIVERSIDE,CA 92521
Performing Department
Entomology, Riverside
Non Technical Summary
Our studies focus on the taxonomy and relationships of parasitic wasps (Chalcidoidea) that attack various pest insects, including whiteflies, aphids, armored scale, sharpshooters and ants. The specific objectives of the project are to: 1) complete a molecular analysis of the phylogenetic relationships of eucharitid ant parasites. 2) analyze host adaptations of Eucharitidae within this framework. 3) study the biology and biological control potential of eucharitids attacking fire ants. 4) continue developing a research program on the systematics of Aphelinidae. 5) analyze the relationships across Chalcidoidea using morphological and molecular data. 6) curate and develop the University of California at Riverside collection of Aphelinidae and Eucharitidae. Our target audience are students and researchers interested in understanding the parasitoid species attacking a wide variety of pest organisms. We disseminate information through scientific publication, our UCR web page (http://hymenoptera.ucr.edu), lectures to the public, and outreach events carried out during field work. Recently we have been developing a new interactive website (https://outreach.chalcid.org) to better inform teachers, master gardeners and extension personnel on parasitic wasps and in particular Chalcidoidea.
Animal Health Component
30%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
70%
Applied
30%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
This project is focused on understanding the systematics and biology of parasitoid wasps in the superfamily Chalcidoidea.Ecologically and economically, Chalcidoidea are the most important group of insects affecting insect populations in naturaland agricultural ecosystems. Our research group aims to integrate the identification of species and higher level taxa and thestudy of their evolutionary history, as well as any aspects of biology, distribution and classification directly related to thosestudies. They are one of the largest, yet least-known groups of Hymenoptera. After more than 200 years of descriptions ofmore than 20,000 species, the taxonomy and classification of Chalcidoidea is still in its infancy. This is not surprising,considering that the estimated number of species of Chalcidoidea could range from 60,000 to 100,000, or even as many as500,000. Because most species were described at the turn of the century, identification keys or descriptions are inadequatefor these small wasps that are usually between 0.5 mm and 3 mm in length. As a result, few Chalcidoidea described in theliterature can be recognized, and biological information is known for far fewer species. There is an overwhelming lack ofinformation for these insects, which are economically one of the most important groups for the control of insect populations.Objectives:1) complete a phylogenetic analysis of eucharitid ant parasites using molecules and morphology2) complete a revision of the ant parasitic genus Orasema (Eucharitidae)3) analyze host adaptations of Eucharitidae within a phylogenetic framework4) study the biology and biological control potential of eucharitids attacking fire ants5) continue developing a research program on the systematics of Aphelinidae (whitefly and scale parasitoids), with emphasis on the genus Encarsia, and Mymaridae (egg parasitoids)6) analyze relationships across Chalcidoidea using morphological and molecular data7) curate and develop the University of California at Riverside collection of Chalcidoidea
Project Methods
Our research is museum, laboratory and field research based. Field research provides us with museum specimens and the necessary biological information to better understand behavior and host associations. Our museum material provides us with a wealth of morphological and molecular data. We have entered a new era of gathering and managing data using bioinformatics and novel molecular sequencing approaches. Working with Matt Yoder (Illinois Natural History Survey), we have developed new approaches to manipulating our data on morphology. This resulted in a large collaborative analysis of the superfamily (9). This database (mx/Taxonworks) was a foundation for our most recent NSF grant. We have used this to transform the Universal Chalcidoidea Database (Natural History Museum, London) into an open access platform for the management of more than 30,000 species names and over 50,000 literature citations. For biological control researchers and taxonomists, this provides access to a tremendous amount of information. We also have been exploring new nextgen approaches to gather molecular data, including transcriptome sequencing (~4500 loci) and anchored enrichment (4900-1100 loci), to better understand the relationships of the Chalcidoidea and families within the superfamily. We have a current data set (989 loci) that resolved the relationships of the superfamily Chalcidoidea and the ant-parasitic family Eucharitidae. It is providing new insights into understanding the evolution of host choice, and the behaviors associated with shifts in host choice across both groups.