| Project/Area Number |
22K20582
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Review Section |
0602:Agricultural and environmental biology and related fields
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| Research Institution | Saga University |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Project Period (FY) |
2022-08-31 – 2024-03-31
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| Project Status |
Completed (Fiscal Year 2023)
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| Budget Amount *help |
¥2,860,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥660,000)
Fiscal Year 2023: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
Fiscal Year 2022: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
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| Keywords | Cecidomyiidae / Biodiversity / Diptera / タマバエ / ハエ目 / 多様性 |
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| Outline of Research at the Start |
Gall midges are considered the most speciose animal taxon on Earth with about 1.8 million species, but their diversity remain poorly understood. This research to clarify the hidden diversity of gall midges on flowers, their evolutionary pathways of hidden and interactions with flowers.
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
In Japan, about 600 sorts of galls formed by gall midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) are known so far after decades of intensive research, including those unidentified species. In this study, gall midges were investigated in the flowers and flower buds of numerous plants in 2022 and 2023.The molecular analyses of the collected gall midge larvae indicated the presence of dozens of gall midge species. Of the collected gall midges, the majority of species utilize flower buds associated with a single plant species, while some are oligo or polyphagous, found on flower buds of two or more plant species. Taxonomically, the gall midges inhabiting flower buds belong to at least five tribes within the Cecidomyiinae subfamily. These results strongly suggest that the trait of utilizing the flower buds of seed plants has evolved independently multiple times within Cecidomyiidae.
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| Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements |
Gall midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) are estimated to be the most diverse insect taxon, with up to 1.8 million species estimated to exist worldwide. However, little is known about gall midge diversity and ecological functions. This research sheds light on their diversity in flower buds.
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