Evolution in an Island Laboratory: Tracing Three Lineages of Moths across the Philippines Archipelago

• Applicant: Dr. Théo Léger
• Subject Area: Ecology and Biodiversity of Animals and Ecosystems, Organismic Interactions ; Systematics and Morphology (Zoology)
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 578631849

The Philippines is one of the world’s top biodiversity hotspots, with its many islands serving as a natural laboratory for studying evolutionary processes. The archipelago comprises a complex mix of oceanic islands and continental fragments derived from mainland Asia, including in total five major island aggregates that have never been connected by land. While the ecosystems disappear at an alarming rate, our understanding of the biogeographical patterns is limited to vertebrates, with only a handful of similar studies available for invertebrates. Here, we propose three groups of Pyraloidea moths as model systems to investigate diversification patterns in the Philippines: moss-feeders (Scopariinae), fern-feeders (Musotiminae) and aquatic moths (Acentropinae). These groups were selected due to their recently revised taxonomy, moderate dispersal ability, ecological diversity and species richness in the archipelago. Using low-coverage Whole Genome Sequencing alongside extensive sampling of both museum specimens and newly collected material from the Philippines and neighbouring regions, we aim to reconstruct the deep biogeographical history of these groups. Our study will address key questions: Is the observed diversity pattern the result of one or several independent colonisations of the archipelago? What are the source of colonization, and which colonization routes were used? And do groups with differing ecologies exhibit distinct diversification patterns? Investigating these questions in pyraloid moths will enhance our understanding of the evolutionary dynamics shaping winged insect lineages in tropical archipelagos, while also investigating if ecological factors such as host plant use underlie differential patterns of diversification.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants