research

Current Research

What drove evolutionary diet transitions in seed bugs and allies (Lygaeoidea)?

Despite the common name "seed bugs," bugs in the superfamily Lygaeoidea have evolved a diverse array of diets that include seed feeding, plant phloem feeding, insect predation, and even blood feeding on mammals. My research focuses on the drivers of these evolutionary diet shifts—factors that include the rise of angiosperms or other plant groups, historical climate shifts, and acquisition of symbiotic microbiomes. I am also interested in the consquences of these diet shifts, particularly if they are linked to increased diversification and success in different lygaeoid lineages.

Past Research

Is seed-feeding facilitated by a gut microbiome in Pogonomyrmex harvester ants?

Pogonomyrmex harvester ants get their common name from their seed foraging and storing behaviors. Seed feeding is rare in ants—out of about 12,000 ant species, only around 150 are known to consume seeds. The granivorous diet of Pogonomyrmex may be being facilitated by the ant's gut microbiome. I aim to better understand these microbial communities and determine what role they may have played in the evolution of granivorous diets in Pogonomyrmex, other seed-feeding ants, and even other insect species.

Evolution and biogeography

Additionally, I am interested in the evolution and biogeography of Pogonomyrmex. The two main populations of harvester ants in North America and South America are geographically isolated and share no species in common. I am interested in the genus's evolution, and how the current species ranges were shaped through evolutionary time.