A short presentation by Wenjun Zhou (PhD Candidate, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge) on Genomic response to artificial selection in an industrially valuable insect species followed by a Q&A and discussion with the speaker.
Coffee Break Seminars are a relaxed online learning and discussion platform for our food security community that take place every Friday during term time at 2pm, UK time.
Please mail coordinator@globalfood.cam.ac.uk to request the Teams link for the seminar.
Abstract:
The black soldier fly (BSF, Hermetia illucens) is an insect species of high commercial value due to its ability to convert organic waste into biomass. Artificial selection is a commonly adopted method to amplify the efficiency of such domesticated animals, especially in large-scale industry. Here, we investigated the genomic basis of larger pupal size after seven generations of artificial selection in an industrial BSF strain. We found rapid and polygenic genomic response in the large body size population, with enormous genes around the differentiated genomic regions in all three replicates. However, contrast to the large number of genes found in separate replicates, only a few genes appeared to be overlapped in all three replicates, some of which are associated with multiple regulatory pathways in individual development. Our result suggests that even with a relative short selection period compared to other domesticated species, a rapid and flexible genomic response can be stimulated in the BSF, indicating potential genomic mechanisms that facilitate evolution and adaptation of this species.
Speaker:
Wenjun Zhou, is a second-year PhD student in Department of Zoology supervised by Chris Jiggins. She is working on the genomic of black soldier fly, a highly commercial insect species that is capable of converting organic waste into biomass and widely used in global food industry. Her current study mainly focuses on the genetic mechanisms involved in the evolution of certain traits, the diversity and colonization history of wild populations of the black soldier fly.