This research will provide insight into the origin and maintenance of complex chemical diversity associated with alternative ecological strategies. Antipredator defenses often consist of multiple parts functioning as a single unit. Two key questions are: (1) What factors favor particular defensive traits? (2) How are these strategies integrated into the phenotype? Chemical defenses in fireflies provide an excellent system for evaluating these questions. Fireflies are primarily known for bioluminescent flashing, but most also make diverse blends of toxins that vary in chemical structure and concentration. Yet, little is known about firefly chemical diversity, and how it-and complex traits in general-evolve. For example, are shifts between diurnal and nocturnal activity (and associated loss or gain of bioluminescence) accompanied by changes in chemical defense evolution? This research will quantify the diversity of chemical defenses across the firefly phylogeny and use comparative methods to estimate rates of change and patterns of convergence and divergence of chemical phenotypes.
This project will create outlets to educate the public about the ecology and evolution of insects, nocturnal life, and bioluminescence via a favorite insect. Moreover, drug discovery is a billion dollar business, and pharmaceutical chemists have long recognized that evolution has produced some of the most effective and profitable drugs ever. However, scientists still do not understand the mechanisms behind the origin and maintenance of chemical diversity. Insight into this question will help guide the next generation of pharmaceutical chemistry.
