Institute of Zoology SAS
Topic
Evolutionary adaptations of insects
PhD. program
Zoology
Year of admission
2025
Name of the supervisor
Mgr. Martina Gáliková, PhD.
Contact:
Receiving school
Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave
Annotation
This interdisciplinary project, bridging zoology, ecology, evolutionary biology, and genetics, investigates how the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster adapts to rapidly changing environment (encompassing climate change, drought, and stressors like insecticides). To do this, we will use an innovative panel of recombinant inbred lines (RILs) for GWAS (association) analysis, which we have been developing in our lab over the past several months. This panel preserves the natural genetic diversity of fruit flies collected from five locations in Slovakia and will allow us to study both developmental and evolutionary adaptations, as well as the costs and limits of these environmental responses. By sequencing the lines and examining correlations between the traits of interest and their associated genetic variants, we aim to identify the specific genes/variants responsible for these adaptations. In the following phase of the project, we will also use our existing selection lines, in which we have experimentally increased resistance to sudden temperature shifts, water scarcity, and pesticides. Comparing results from both approaches will give us a comprehensive picture of adaptive mechanisms, including their evolutionary origins, trade-offs, and underlying molecular processes.