Brian Wiegmann
Bio
Our research in molecular biosystematics is focused on inferring phylogenetic relationships and testing hypotheses about the evolution and diversification of insects.
A major focus is reconstruction of the family-level phylogeny of the insect order Diptera (true flies). A major component of these studies is uncovering patterns and processes of DNA sequence evolution, interpreting of morphological and developmental evolutionary pathways, and testing hypotheses about the origin and evolutionary effects of specific adaptations in morphology, behavior, and physiology of flies.
The need for new, large, comprehensive datasets for discovering Diptera phylogeny and interpreting their biological diversity motivates our projects through funding from the US National Science Foundation (NSF) and US Department of Agriculture. For example, we are using data generated in large comparative genome projects, to investigate evolutionary questions surrounding the adaptations and consequences of blood feeding, disease transmission, and habitat use in mosquitoes (Culicidae), the evolution of mammal and bird parasitism in blow flies (Calliphoridae), and the use of living plants has larval food resources in leafmining flies (Agromyzidae ) and true fruit flies (Tephritidae). We also study the use of alternative workflows, sampling strategies, and analysis protocols for effective phylogenomic studies in insect systematics.
As part of the NCSU Entomology Graduate Program, we provide training in all aspects of modern biosystematic research with an emphasis on applied and basic uses of biodiversity information. Our goal is to prepare students with scientific training, scholarship, and intellectual framework they will need as future researchers, educators, or administrators who will use comparative methods and biodiversity information to address issues in basic and applied entomology.
Research:
Wiegmann’s research focuses on the evolutionary history and biology of flies and other insects using comparative genomics and genetic data analysis. Flies (Diptera) include many diverse blood-feeding species that are important vectors of disease to humans, pets, and livestock. His current work uses transcriptomes and exon capture methods to understand the history of major events in fly evolution. New genomic data provide insight into the variability and evolution of genes in key functional groups. A major goal of Wiegmann’s research program is to reconstruct the evolutionary ‘tree of life’ for all fly species, one of the largest groups of metazoan life on earth.
Publications
- Chewing through challenges: Exploring the evolutionary pathways to wood-feeding in insects , BIOESSAYS (2024)
- Anchored phylogenomics and revised classification of the Miltogramminae (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) , SYSTEMATIC ENTOMOLOGY (2023)
- NEW HOST PLANT AND DISTRIBUTION RECORDS OF ANASTREPHA SPECIES (DIPTERA: TEPHRITIDAE) PRIMARILY FROM THE WESTERN AMAZON , PROCEEDINGS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON (2023)
- Phylogenomics reveals the history of host use in mosquitoes , NATURE COMMUNICATIONS (2023)
- The phylogeny and divergence times of leaf-mining flies (Diptera: Agromyzidae) from anchored phylogenomics , MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION (2023)
- A genome-wide phylogeny and the diversification of genus Liriomyza (Diptera: Agromyzidae) inferred from anchored phylogenomics , SYSTEMATIC ENTOMOLOGY (2022)
- Phylogenetic resolution of the fly superfamily Ephydroidea-Molecular systematics of the enigmatic and diverse relatives of Drosophilidae , PLOS ONE (2022)
- Beyond Drosophila: resolving the rapid radiation of schizophoran flies with phylotranscriptomics , BMC BIOLOGY (2021)
- Colonization with multidrug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae among infants: an observational study in southern Sri Lanka , ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE AND INFECTION CONTROL (2021)
- From e-voucher to genomic data: Preserving archive specimens as demonstrated with medically important mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) and kissing bugs (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) , PLOS ONE (2021)