This research seeks to establish phylogenetic relationships among members of the important beetle family Zopheridae using DNA sequence data, and utilize this information to test long-standing hypotheses surrounding the biogeography of the southern hemisphere. We will sequence DNA from zopherids from around the world, perform phylogenetic analyses, and test biogeographic hypotheses. Knowledge of Zopheridae biogeography will complement ongoing research using other taxa such as mammals and higher plants, and has potential to inform several scientific disciplines outside systematics and phylogenetics, including geology and paleoclimatology.
Recovered biogeographic inferences will provide important biodiversity data for use in the management of sensitive environments in the southern hemisphere. In an educational capacity, the PIs will mentor at least one undergrad student as part of this project. The student will be directly involved in the project and will gain experience in insect systematics, thus fostering the student's desire to enter a graduate program in science. This project will enhance the Co-PIs professional development through strengthened multi-institution, multi-nationality collaborations with top experts in the field and better position him to obtain a tenure-track faculty position in insect systematics.
This NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant (DDIG) provided Lord with the necessary funds to sequence additional members of Ironclad and Cylindrical Bark Beetles (Coleoptera: Zopheridae) worldwide, with a particular emphasis on the zopherids inhabiting the Australo-Pacific region. While the work is still in preparation for publication, the funds awarded by NSF allowed Lord and Miller to sequence a number of critical taxa that greatly improved the overall scope and conclusions of Lord’s studies. Outcomes: This award resulted in Lord and Miller inferring the first phylogenetic hypothesis for the beetle family Zopheridae. Nearly 200 taxa were included, representing 2/2 subfamilies, 15/15 tribes, and more than half of the currently recognized genera. Twelve outgroup taxa from eight other families of Tenebrionoidea were also included. Parsimony and Bayesian analyses were performed on the combined dataset. Intellectual Merit: Through this funded research, a greater knowledge of taxonomy and phylogeny of a difficult and diverse taxon was obtained. One of the principal goals was to test the monophyly of Zopheridae and elucidate higher-level coleopteran relationships of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea, both of which were achieved. As demonstrated in the figures, the monophyly of Zopheridae was not supported. Both topologies suggest a non-monophyletic Zopheridae. In order for the classification of Tenebrionoidea to be consistent with these findings, Zopheridae sensu lato will need to be divided into family groupings more similar to previously-held concepts (e.g. as reviewed in ?lipi?ski and Lawrence, 1999). This would include a resurrection of the family-groups Colydiidae and Zopheridae, although the previously-recognized family-group Monommatidae would continue to be retained as a tribe within Zopheridae. A continued effort will be made to address the fauna of the Australo-Pacific region, as this zopherid subset shows promise for addressing previously-held hypotheses of southern hemisphere biogeography. Both analyses recovered a large clade of strictly Australian and New Zealand members, and the relationships between and within these genera will continue to be investigated via additional taxonomic sampling. While biogeographic analyses are still underway, this research will provide a broader understanding of southern hemisphere biogeography through the utilization of an ideal taxon. These results are planned for publication in The Journal of Biogeography or Systematic Entomology. Broader Impacts: As a broader impact of this grant, undergraduate mentoring was emphasized. At the University of New Mexico, Larisa Crippen y Chavez (a female minority student) was mentored by Lord and Miller on molecular techniques and sequence generation. Additionally, Lord is actively mentoring another undergraduate student, Preston Arnold, at his new appointment at BYU on Sanger sequencing and phylogenetic methods. Preston is assisting Lord with additional data acquisition for this project. These experiences have provided invaluable research experience, thus better preparing them life after graduation. Through the award of this DDIG, Lord’s professional development was furthered through increased interactions with Dr. Richard Leschen and Dr. Thomas Buckley in Auckland, New Zealand. Lord’s interactions with Buckley and Leschen have resulted in additional collaborations and research projects, as well as the invitation of Lord to serve as a co-instructor for a specialty Beetle Classification course as part of the Organization of Tropical Studies in Costa Rica. Due in no small part to the quality of the research made possible by the DDIG grant, Lord was invited to speak in two different symposia at the Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting, which he did in November, 2013. The NSF DDIG award allowed for the completion of Lord’s Ph.D. dissertation, and he was successfully awarded the degree in December, 2013. Lord’s dissertation research also led to his selection for the John Henry Comstock Award (Outstanding Ph.D. Student), given by the Southwestern Branch of the Entomological Society of America in 2014.
