Microbial determinants of folivory in beetles

We are interested in the evolutionary processes that shape mutually beneficial species interactions, with emphasis on why they form and how they facilitate adaptation in insects. Using leaf beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidea) as a model, my talk will outline the mechanisms by which these insects house and transmit their obligate microbial symbionts, and the evolutionary consequences of engaging with a single clade of microbes for an upwards of 80 million years. Leveraging data from genomic and transcriptomic sequencing, microscopy, and bioassays, I will address (i) the metabolic factors defining nutritional and defensive symbioses within the Chrysomelidea, (ii) how variation in these factors drastically shapes beetle physiology and host-plant use, and (iii) the trade-offs governing symbiont localisation and transmission.