Genomics of Calliphoridae flies
Parasites are attractive models for the study of the evolution of the parasitic habit and the molecular mechanisms underlying adaptive changes. The Calliphoridae family, for example, is a good candidate for such a study. In this family of flies, different species have been recorded feeding on: living tissues of a vertebrate host; living tissues of an invertebrate host; decomposing matter; and blood. Considering the feeding habits of their larvae, califorids are classified in: necrosaprophagous species, which feed on decomposing tissue; facultative ectoparasites, which feed on dead organic matter (necrophagous), or infest necrotic tissues of living vertebrates; and obligate parasites, which feed only on the living tissues of their hosts. The origin and evolutionary history of feeding habits in Calliphoridae are still unknown and we intend, in this project, to study the diversity of these habits in three dimensions: (1) phylogenetic, mapping the transitions of habits that occurred in history of the family; (2) phenotypic, quantifying the index of preference for different food sources, and testing the effect of selection on feeding preferences and (3) genomic, searching for regions under selection or with association with feeding habits.