Gyrodactylus bullatarudis isolate:Rox2016 Genome sequencing and assembly. Gyrodactylus bullatarudis isolate:Rox2016

How parasites adapt to their hosts and avoid host immune defense constitutes one of the most important questions in evolutionary biology. To challenge this question, we study Gyrodactylus bullatarudis, an ectoparasite of guppy fish (Poecilia reticulata), a model organism to study host-pathogen coevolution in natural populations. We explore evolution of this species by comparing its genome with those of other parasites and by comparing genomic variation of parasites derived from different rivers. We aim to identify genes that have been evolving since divergence from close relatives, thus likely contributing to co-evolution with guppy host; describe genes differentiated between local populations of Trinidad, thus potentially involved in adaptation to local host populations, and validate previous findings about cryptic species suggested for G. bullatarudis and their potential impact on coevolution.