The Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change

is a research museum of the Leibniz Association

Comparative hemipteran genomics addresses development, ecology, and genome structure

Date: 
Thu, 11/24/2016 - 5:15pm
Location: 
Lecture hall
Event type: 
Lecture
Event series: 
Colloquium on evolution and biodiversity
Target group: 
Studierende
Lecturer: 
Dr. Kristen Panfilio, University of Cologne

The Hemiptera are the most species-rich order of hemimetabolous insect, characterized by piercing and sucking mouthparts that have allowed them to exploit diverse food sources and ecological niches across the globe.  A recent i5k pilot project has generated draft genomes for a number of hemipterans and related insects, providing the first opportunity to investigate the underlying genomic features that correlate with lineage specific adaptations and that are shared across the order, making a bug a bug.  Having served as a research model for physiology and development since the 1960s, the milkweed bug Oncopeltus fasciatus provides arguably the best experimental reference species for the Hemiptera.  So, how representative is it with respect to genome evolution?  I will present our recent work comparing genome size, gene structure, and protein family repertoires, including those relevant for feeding ecology.

 

Colloquium on biology

Prof. Dr. H. Wägele
Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig,
Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn, Germany
 
Prof. Dr. G. von der Emde
Institute of Zoology, Poppelsdorfer Schloss,
Meckenheimer Allee 169, 53115 Bonn, Germany

Place: Great lecture hall, Poppelsdorfer Schloß
Time: mondays, 17.15 h