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10-Minute Presentation

Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity

10-min: SysEB, Genomics and Evolution

Can cross-species temporal transcriptomic profiling pinpoint the molecular drivers of locust swarming?

Wednesday, November 13, 2024
9:30 AM – 9:42 AM MST
Location: Phoenix Convention Center, 131 A, PCC
Oral Presentation

Locusts embody the idea of “group madness” by switching from solitary, cryptic grasshoppers to gregarious, conspicuous swarming locusts in response to population density changes. This dynamic and dramatic transformation, observed since biblical times, highlights the profound impact of phenotypic plasticity on their behavior and appearance, governed by multiple genes.


The Schistocerca (Acrididae) genus includes three of the most damaging locusts: S. gregaria, S. cancellata, and S. piceifrons, all exhibiting extreme density-dependent phenotypic plasticity. In contrast, sister species like S. americana and S. serialis cubense display milder responses, while S. nitens shows none, providing an excellent comparative framework to disentangle the origins of locust phase transitions. The temporal dynamics of behavioral changes and mechanosensory triggers inducing developmental and gene expression changes during phase transitions are well characterized but can vary across species. Yet, the upstream molecular mechanisms driving this phase transition remain unknown. Did locusts co-opt this evolutionary novelty from ancestral machinery, or did it evolve independently?


We propose to address this question using an integrated approach combining time-course transcriptomics and comparative genomics in the Schistocerca genus. By inducing gregarization and solitarization in six species within our “common garden” quarantine facility, we characterized the temporal transcriptome landscape of four brain regions and two sensory organs at 10-time points (control to 72h) for both densities. We will share insights from: 1) the comparative transcriptomic analysis based on over 1,000 RNA-seq from S. gregaria, S. piceifrons, S. americana and S. serialis cubense, and 2) the signature of selection analysis on Orthoptera RefSeq genomes.