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ViewAttendees 16

SysEB

10-Minute Paper

10-min: SysEB, Phylogenetics

The evolution of Noctuoidea (owlet moths) and novel detoxification genes

On-Demand
On-Demand
Noctuoidea is one of the most ecologically and taxonomically diverse superfamilies of Lepidoptera. The superfamily includes some of the world's most notorious pest species that feed on an exceptional diversity of larval host plants. Understanding the superfamily’s dynamic ecology requires a robust phylogeny, which has been difficult to reconstruct due to a presumed rapid diversification. Here, we use genome and transcriptome sequences to construct a backbone phylogeny of Noctuoidea, sampling 1,234 genes and 76 species spanning the breadth of the superfamily, and 20 outgroups. We find well-supported relationships among Noctuoidea families, which were poorly resolved in previous studies. Divergence time estimates using secondary calibrations suggest the origin of the superfamily to be between 75-85 mya. Extensive research into noctuoid pests has uncovered specific relationships between Cytochrome P450 genes and plant toxins. Given the high diversity of host plant utilization in the superfamily, we hypothesized extensive macroevolutionary expansion of the Cytochrome P450 gene family. Expanded complements of these genes may confer greater detoxification ability that enables novel host plant acquisition. To document these patterns, we used the resolved and dated species to reconcile the gene family to determine the tempo of duplication. We find that detoxification genes are often shared amongst members of the lineage, as opposed to species-specific duplications, suggesting that many plant detoxification strategies are much older than previously known. We date these duplication events and interpret such patterns in light of species' larval host plant and toxin-specificity.