IsoBar · Relative Role of Reproductive Isolating Barriers During Speciation
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2016-03-11 → 2019-07-12
- EU contribution
- €195,455
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Relative Role of Reproductive Isolating Barriers During Speciation
The overall research objective of this project is to understand the relative importance of different isolating barriers during adaptive speciation. The project is focused on pea aphids, Acyrthosiphon pisum, which feed on legumes and form multiple host races, each adapted to one or few legume plants. Two reproductive isolation barriers separate the host races: habitat choice (encounters and mating among races is minimal due to strong host preference) and post-zygotic isolation (hybrids among races have low fecundity on paternal host plants). This project investigates the evolution of reproductive isolation which is central to the origin and maintenance of biodiversity. It also provided a more complete understanding of the evolutionary history of pea aphids, which represent one of the pest species of highest agricultural importance in temperate regions.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Understanding the appearance of reproductive isolation is essential for understanding mechanisms underlying the origin of species. This project aims at understanding the relative importance of different isolating barriers during adaptive speciation by looking at patterns of genomic divergence. I will use numerical modelling, analysis of RNAseq data from several biotypes (incipient species) of a model organism (pea aphid), and will perform mating experiments to address four research questions:(1) Which patterns of genomic divergence arise when different isolation barriers apply? (2) Which patterns of genomic divergence do pea aphids show? (3) Do pea aphids biotypes have behavioural mate choice?(4) Which reproductive barriers are needed for the completion of speciation in hybridizing biotypes?Successful implementation of this project will improve my career perspectives, because it's training objectives were chosen to guarantee addressing skills gaps, diversifying experience and strengthening existing skills. European Research and Society will also benefit from results of this project, both though academic and economic pathways.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- THE CHANCELLOR, MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD · OxfordCoordinatorUnited Kingdom
Links
- View on CORDIS
- DOI: 10.3030/659847
- http://web.archive.org/web/20211021025216/https://zoo-godfray.zoo.ox.ac.uk/people/dr-varvara-fazalova/
Data: CORDIS, © European Union