Paula Torres Quintero - De novo transcriptome characterization of the color-polymorphic orb-weaver spider Gasteracantha cancriformis with reference to pigment genes

Gasteracantha cancriformis color morphs.

Home institution and supervisors
Camilo Clavijo & Geimy Carolina Pardo Diaz. Universidad del Rosario, Colombia.

Host institution and supervisors
Dimitar Dimitrov. UiB, Norway. 2022.

Project description
Color polymorphism in animals is a useful system to study evolutionary and developmental processes. However, the study of this trait is biased towards model organisms, while coloration in arachnids is less explored. Gasteracantha cancriformis is a neotropical spider that displays color polymorphism with at least 16 known morphs distributed from the southern United States to northern Argentina, but to date the genetic basis underlying such polymorphism is unknown. During the visit, Paula will use RNAseq to generate a de-novo transcriptome for G. cancriformis and assess differential gene expression between four different color morphs to build a gene expression profile that may provide an opportunity to understand how intraspecific variation and interspecific divergence are structured within a pigment developmental pathway. The data obtained in this study will provide a valuable genetic resource for future studies on neotropical spiders and constitute a step towards the identification of the genetic basis of color polymorphism in these animals.