Ecological speciation in aphids: behaviour, physiology and genetics of host-plant choice

Professor Roger Butlin

Key words:host-plant specialisation; genome sequence

Project Description

Natural selection can drive the origin of new species through adaptation to different environmental niches. This can happen even in the face of gene flow. This much is now widely accepted but many details of the process are uncertain and controversial. A major focus of the debate concerns the role of host-plant specialisation in speciation in plant-feeding insects, which show an extraordinary diversity of species and many examples of host-associated races. Now, for the first time, a genome sequence is available for species with well-studied host races: the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum. This opens up all kinds of exciting opportunities. We have started to exploit these opportunities by annotating the major groups of genes involved in the reception of chemical signals, which are candidates for the genetic basis of divergence in host acceptance behaviour among host races. In this studentship, the aim will be to determine the behavioural and physiological steps involved in host acceptance and to link these to genes that show unusually high levels of divergence between host races in either DNA sequence or expression level. The studentship will be embedded in a larger collaborative project involving Carole Smadja (Montpellier), Jing-Jiang Zhou (Rothamsted) and Julia Ferrari (York), providing access to a wide range of techniques and expertise.

Starting date: 1 October 2010

How to apply: Complete an on-line application form via University of Sheffield web site at http://www.shef.ac.uk/postgraduate/research/apply/index.html. Send a full CV, via email to Mrs S Carter, s.a.carter@sheffield.ac.uk, or a hard copy to Mrs S Carter, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN.

Closing date for applications: 31 January 2010.