Evidence of positive selection on six spider developmental genes.

Spiders constitute more than 49,000 described species distributed all over the world, and all ecological environments. Their order, Araneae, is defined by a set of characteristics with no parallel among their arachnid counterparts (e.g.

Molecular basis of resistance to organophosphate insecticides in the New World screw-worm fly.

Background: The emergence of insecticide resistance is a fast-paced example of the evolutionary process of natural selection. In this study, we investigated the molecular basis of resistance in the myiasis-causing fly Cochliomyia hominivorax (Diptera: Calliphoridae) to dimethyl-organophosphate (OP) insecticides.

Methods: By sequencing the RNA from surviving larvae treated with dimethyl-OP (resistant condition) and non-treated larvae (control condition), we identified genes displaying condition-specific polymorphisms, as well as those differentially expressed.

Evolution of genes involved in feeding preference and metabolic processes in Calliphoridae (Diptera: Calyptratae).

Background: The genotype-phenotype interactions among traits governing feeding preference are of fundamental importance to behavioral genetics and evolutionary biology. The genetic basis of behavioral traits has been explored in different taxa using different approaches. However, the complex nature of the genetic mechanisms undergirding behavior is poorly understood.