Rhizoglyphus robini genome sequencing, assembly and resequencing of laboratory evolved populations. Rhizoglyphus robini

The purpose of the project was to fill the important gap in our understanding of the process of evolution by checking if evolution of elaborated, sexually selected traits does help to maintain genetic variation within populations. The project used experimental evolution approach, and the subject of evolution in laboratory was bulb mite, in which males vary in expression of elaborated sexually selected trait: thickened legs which are costly to produce and hinder movement but are useful in intersexual combats. Populations were forced to evolve towards low or high proportion of males with thickened legs, and after 30 generations (about 2 year in laboratory) their genomes were sequenced to check whether amount of genetic variation is higher in evolutionary lines in which thickened legs are common. Prior to that we sequenced and assembled reference genome of the bulb mite.