Exon-capture based population genomics of the phytophagous Hawaiian insect, Nesosydne umbratica (Delphacidae)

Associations between insects and their host plants have long been considered to play a key role in the tremendous diversity of arthropods, phytophagous insects in particular. However, despite numerous studies that have set out to examine the nature of this relationship, the causes remain elusive. Studies that seek to understand how early stages of population divergence give way to speciation and ecological differentiation are rare and are critical for understanding the association between geographic range and host evolution together. In this project, we have selected a phytophagous insect (Nesosydne umbratica) that has been documented on several wet-forest plants on the islands of Maui and Hawaii. We use a targeted sequence capture method to produce a detailed demographic study with the study of candidate genes known to be involved in feeding in insects.