Research
“Nothing in evolution makes sense except when seen in the light of phylogeny.”
Jay Savage, evolutionary biologist
Overview
Understanding how Earth’s diversity has been shaped by evolution is one of the key objectives in biological research, and a compelling mechanism for engaging and educating the public. My research is driven by three major questions:
- What are the relationships within the arthropod Tree of Life?
- How has evolution produced such an astonishing array of form and function?
- Why are particular lineages more diverse than others?
Topics of interest to our lab group:
- Build a better understanding of Araneae & Lepidoptera branches on the Tree of Life
- Train the next generation of taxonomists
- Comparative genomics of phenotypic and physiological changes
- Use of genomics as a tool in STEM outreach
Systematics
Our research addresses a wide range of evolutionary questions by investigating the history of the Araneae (from alpha and beta taxonomy to macroevolutionary dynamics to species delimitation), with a focus predominantly on the Mygalomorphae, and in particular the Theraphosidae (tarantulas). We also work on Lepidoptera, predominantly the superfamily Bombycoidea, and in particular the Saturniidae (silkmoths).
Evolution and systematics of Aphonopelma
Aphonopelma is a group where traditional morphological characters were generally ineffective at evaluating inter- and intraspecific variation, with the genus declared “one of the greatest known challenges to species delimitation in spiders”. The principal goal of this research was and is to formally resolve the species-level diversity by using an integrative approach that combined phylogenomics with morphological, geographic, and behavioral data to define species boundaries.
More systematics projects
- Understanding the Theraphosidae & Barychelidae Tree of Life
- Evolution and systematics of the trapdoor spider genus Antrodiaetus
- Evolution and systematics of the mygalomorph spider genus Euagrus
- Evolution and systematics of the mygalomorph spider genus Hexura
- Evolution and systematics of the mygalomorph spider genus Microhexura
- Evolution and systematics of the silk moth genus Coloradia
Body size evolution
Body size is one of the most important determinants of an organism’s ecological role (Hanken and Wake 1993). Because it is correlated with physiological and fitness characters, body size has been one of the most important traits evolutionary biologists have investigated. My research explores three major stories of dramatic changes in body size:
- Miniaturization in sympatric lineages of Aphonopelma tarantulas
- Sexual size dimorphism in the golden orb-weaving spiders (Nephilidae)
- The evolution of large body sizes as an anti-bat trait in the evolutionary “arms race” between bats and moths
Future work will utilize phylogenetics, morphometrics, and comparative genomics to investigate the evolutionary path of these traits, as well as the putative mechanisms and the genome regions that have provided for these changes.
Effects of climate change on pest distribution expansion
Adapting to changing climate is a fundamental challenge for life on Earth. Distributions change as organisms are forced to search for hospitable habitat, either retracting from areas no longer favorable or expanding into new areas with more suitable environmental conditions. Oftentimes, these changes result in taxa having a novel presence in a given area. This novelty brings with it the potential for unchecked population outbreaks due to a lack of pre-existing predators or other balancing effects that normally prevent serious environmental or economic impacts from occurring in the organism’s historical range.
To gain a better evolutionary understanding of the genomic and phenotypic links of this phenomenon and its relation to climate change, we are focusing on a widespread species in the Western United States, the Pandora Pine Moth (Coloradia pandora), a species with unpredictable population outbreaks that is already expanding into novel areas, where it feeds on several pine (Pinus spp.) species, in particular the economically significant lodgepole, Jeffrey, and ponderosa pines.
Outreach
STEM Extension work
I have a very unique position here at UI. As an extension specialist, I was tasked with building a STEM outreach and education program with the tribal students of Idaho, a role that no other faculty member at the university holds. In addition to educating K-12 tribal students in biology-centered STEM activities, I feel that my role at UI is to also be a tribal liaison in the college and my department, as well as recruiting and working to retain Native students (both undergraduate and graduate) and engaging and growing the Native community on campus.
The inclusion of underrepresented groups in biology is essential to enhancing scientific literacy in the United States and I am committed towards bringing Native ideas and representation across the campus, state, and nation.
Nannoppolo’ Lab (Monster Lab)
My program here in Idaho, and with the San Carlos Apache in Arizona, seeks to use genetics and the powerful evolutionary story of how it has created the vast amounts of diversity we see around us, both in humans and the rest of Earth’s biodiversity. The main focus of this new program is a genetics-based STEM outreach program to teach tribal elementary, middle, and high school students about genetics. I am currently building a genetics-based STEM outreach program to teach K-12 students about DNA, the genome, and how genes work.
This program uses a LEGO DNA sequencer to teach kids about DNA, DNA sequencing, how DNA is put together to build genes, and how those genes produce phenotypes. Called Monster Lab (I did not come up with the idea, just modifying it), children use four colors of LEGO blocks to “build” stretches of DNA. These genes are then read (i.e., “sequenced”) by the sequencer (made of robotics and Arduino coding) and an output tells the students the characters that make up their monster (e.g. number of eyes, number of legs, type of monster, size, temperament, etc.). The students then get to draw and color their monster on an “official” sheet that they can hang on their classroom wall and compare with other students.
Here in Idaho, I work with the tribes to provide opportunities for the next generation to access and develop the skills and knowledge they deem necessary for strengthening Tribal sovereignty and self-determination.