TESTING THE HOLOGENOME THEORY OF EVOLUTION IN SOCIAL INSECTS

This project aims to test the hologenome theory of evolution in social insects. The hologenome theory posits that if microbiomes are vertically inherited, host and microbiome will co-adapt and could then potentially act as a single unit of selection. To test this theory, our project will use whole-genome shotgun metagenomic sequencing and whole mitogenome sequencing of solitary and social bees to quantify changes in mode of transmission and degree of phylosymbiosis of gut microbiome symbionts across different levels of sociality. Subsequently, microbiome transplant experiments will be conducted to study the impacts of microbiome variation on host fitness. Finally, the project will test if intercolony variation in microbiome composition and fitness consequences are transmitted across generations and are heritable. Overall, this project will provide a unique test of the hologenome theory of evolution and allow for a better understanding of how hosts and microbiomes co-evolve.

Keywords:Hologenome, Social Insects, Gut Microbiome, Microbiome Transplant, Vertical inheritance

Disciplines:Invertebrate biology, Computational evolutionary biology, comparative genomics and population genomics, Behavioural ecology, Metagenomics, Metabolomics