Michael F. Whiting

The Phylogeny of Stick Insects and the Evolution of Masquerade Crypsis: A team Mentored Experience

Funding was received from the BYU ORCA mentorship program during academic year
2014-2015 to support undergraduates performing research in my lab on insect evolution,
under the mentorship of postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and myself. During
2015-2016, this funding provided direct support for 6 undergraduates who are in various
stages of completing research projects. This research focused on the phylogeny of stick
insects, but students were involved in a variety of different insect groups as indicated by
the publications below. The following report focuses on undergraduate achievements,
but also provides summary data for graduate students and other lab participants.

Review of Academic Objectives of the Proposal

Funding was received from ORCA in 2015 to provide students with the opportunity to
work on various projects that focus on the evolution of stick insects. The proposal
submitted described four team projects that included postdocs, graduate students, and
undergraduates. During the period of ORCA funding (2015-2016), the Whiting lab group
generated 14 manuscripts, 12 of which have been published in peer reviewed, scientific
journals with 2 in review. The overarching goal behind the research was to train students
and mentor them all the way through the scientific process, from teaching basic lab and
computer skills, to experimental design, data generation, analysis, and finally
presentation at national meetings and publication in peer reviewed journals. As outlined
below, the productivity of the lab as a whole for 2015-2016 was very good (14
publications and 4 presentations).

Evaluation of the Mentoring Environment

In 2015-2016, the mentoring environment of the lab consisted of six BYU
undergraduates, five graduate students, and two postdocs. We met together in weekly lab
meetings, read from the current literature, and reviewed each other’s manuscripts.

Whiting Lab Participants (2015-2016)

Michael F. Whiting (PI)
Dr. James Robertson (Postdoc fellow)
Dr. Nathan Lord (Postdoc Fellow)
Joey Mugleston (graduate student)
Justin Miller (graduate student)
Brandon Pickett (graduate student)
Katie Fager (graduate student)
Gavin Martin (graduate student)
Johnnie Osborne (undergraduate)
Jessica Jensen (undergraduate)
Kelsy Johnson (undergraduate)
Michael Naegle (undergraduate)
Michael Swindle (undergraduate)
Yelena Pancheco (undergraduate)

Specific Products of the MEG

Research Presentations: In 2015-2016 my lab group made 4 presentations at scientific
meetings. Undergraduates participated as senior author or co-authors on 2 of the
presentations, graduate students on 3 of the presentations. Undergraduates are indicated
by blue; graduate students are indicated by red. Note that Pickett won the student
research competition at the Society for Freshwater Science Meetings in May.

Pickett, B., M. D. Terry, D. Shiozawa, and M. F. Whiting. Congruence of plecopteran transcriptomes and
Sanger-generated molecular markers with emphasis on resolution of Perloidea. Society for
Freshwater Science, May 21-26 2016.
Whiting, M. F., J. A. Robertson and S. Bradler. The evolution of phasmid oviposition techniques and a
convergent ant mutualism between stick insects and angiosperms. International Congress of
Entomology, Orlando, FL September 2016.
Robertson, J., A. Slipinski, M. Moulton, F. W. Shockley, J. A. Giorgi, N. P. Lord, D. McKenna, W.
Tomaszewska, J. A Forrester, K. B. Miller, M. F. Whiting, J. V. McHugh. Phylogeny and
classification of Cucujoidea and the recognition of a new superfamily Coccinelloidea (Coleoptera:
Cucujiformia). International Congress of Entomology, Orlando, FL September 2016.
Miller, J., A. Hippen, J. Belyeu, M. F. Whiting, P. Ridge. Missing something?: Codon non-usage as a
character in phylogenetic inference in tetrapods. Biotechnology and Bioinformatics Symposium.
Dec, 2015.

Publications: During 2015-2016, the Whiting lab group produced 14 manuscripts, 11 of
which have been published, one in press, with two currently in review. Of these, 6
publications have undergraduate authors and 10 publications have graduate student
authors. These have been published in some of the top journals in our field (e.g., three
manuscripts in Cladistics, Impact Factor 6.21; one manuscripts in Systematic
Entomology, impact factor 3.2). Undergraduates are indicated by blue; graduate
students are indicated by red.

Hastriter, M. W., K. B. Miller, G. J. Svenson, G. J. Martin, M. F. Whiting. 2016. New record of phoresy
among fleas associated with earwigs (Dermaptera, Arixeniidae) and a redescription of the bat flea
Lagaropsylla signata (Siphonaptera, Ischnopsyllidae). Zookeys (in review).
Mugleston, J. , M. Naegle, H. Song, and M. F. Whiting. 2016 Clearing up a taxonomic quandary:
Phylogeny, biogeography, and origins of Tettigoniidae (Orthoptera: Ensifera). Cladistics (in review)
Martin, G. J., M. A. Branham, M. F. Whiting, and S. M. Bybee. 2016. Total evidence phylogeny and the
evolution of adult bioluminescence in fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae). Molecular Phylogenetics
and Evolution (accepted)
Miller, J. B., A. A. Hippen, J. R. Belyeu, M. F. Whiting, and P. G. Ridge. 2017. Missing Something?:
Codon Usage Bias as New Character System in Phylogenetics. Cladistics (accepted).
Naegle, M. A., J. D. Mugleston, S. M. Bybee, and M. F. Whiting. 2016. Reassessing the phylogenetic
position of the epizoic earwigs (Insecta: Dermaptera) Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution
100: 382-390.
Mugleston, J. D., M. Naegle, H. Song, S. M. Bybee, S. Ingley, A. Suvorov, M. F. Whiting. 2016
Reinventing the leaf: Multiple origins of leaf-like wings in katydids (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae).
Invertebrate Systematics 30: 335-352
Dittmar, K, Q., Zhu, M. W. Hastriter, and M. F. Whiting. 2016. On the probability of Dinosaur fleas.
BMC Evolutionary Biology. 16:9 DOI 10.1186/s12862-015-0568-x
Manwaring, K. F., M. F. Whiting, E. Wilcox, and S. M. Bybee. 2016. A study of common scorpionfly
(Mecoptera: Panorpidae) visual systems reveals the expression of a single opsin. Organismal
Diversity and Evolution. 16:201-209.
Zhu, Q., M. W. Hastriter, M. F. Whiting, and K. Dittmar. 2015. Fleas (Siphonaptera) are Cretaceous, and
Evolved with Theria. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 90: 129-139.
Song, H., C. Amedegnato, M. M. Cigliano, L. Desutter-Grandcolas, S. W. Heads, Y. Huang, D. Otte, and
M. F. Whiting. 2015. 300 million years of diversification: Elucidating the patterns of orthopteran
evolution based on comprehensive taxon and gene sampling. Cladistics 31:621-651.
Dittmar, K., Q. Zhu, M.W. Hastriter, and M.F. Whiting. 2015. Evolutionary history of Siphonaptera:
fossils, origins, vectors, Chapter 12, pp. 230-245. In: S. Morand, B.R. Krasnov, and D.T.J.
Littlewood (Eds.), Parasite diversity and diversification. Evolutionary ecology meets phylogenetics.
488 pp.
McElrath, T. C., J. A. Robertson, M. C. Thomas, J. Osborne, K. B. Miller, J. V. McHugh, and M. F.
Whiting. 2015. A molecular phylogenetic study of Cucujidae s.l. (Coleoptera: Cucujoidea).
Systematic Entomology 40: 705-718.
McKenna, D. D., A. L. Wild, K. Kanda, C. L. Bellamy, R. G. Beutel, M. S. Caterino, C. W. Farnum, D. C.
Hawks, M. A. Ivie, M. Jameson, R. A. Leschen, A. E. Marvaldi, J. V. McHugh, A. F. Mewtpom, J. A.
Robertson, M. K. Thayer, M. F. Whiting, J. F. Lawrence, A. Slipinski, D. R. Maddison, and B. D.
Farrell. 2015. Beetles Survived the End Permian Mass Extinction to Diversify During the Cretaceous
Terrestrial Revolution. Systematic Entomology 40: 835-880.
Robertson, J. A, A. Ślipiński, M. Moulton, F. W. Shockley, A. Giorgi, N. P. Lord, D. D. McKenna, W.
Tomaszewska, J. Forrester, K. B. Miller, M. F. Whiting and J. V. McHugh. 2015. Phylogeny and
classification of Cucujoidea and the recognition of a new superfamily Coccinelloidea (Coleoptera:
Cucujiformia). Systematic Entomology 40: 745-778.

External GrantsData generated by my undergraduate students not only resulted in
publications, but also form the preliminary data used in NSF grants proposals. Over the
past 5 years, the Whiting lab has submitted 7 grants proposals to NSF including to the
Tree of Life Program (2), Systematics Panel (4), and Digitization TCN Panel (1). Of
these, we received funding on the TCN grant ($175K/3 years) and a systematics panel
grant ($150K/3 years). The other proposals were declined, but are being revised for
resubmission, with two proposals targeted for the January preproposal deadline. All of
these grants included data and analyses that were generated via undergraduate
mentoring in the lab, and include funding that will support student research. In
particular, the data collected in this project formed the basis for a NSF proposal
which, if funded, will include 5 years of undergraduate support.

Description of how the Budget was Spent: The funding provided by ORCA was
combined with NSF funds to support lab supplies, travel, and student salaries.

Summary

This report provides a brief summary of undergraduate accomplishments
based on ORCA mentoring support. Additional, specific information on the
accomplishments of individual undergraduate students can be provided upon request. I
feel a sense of gratitude for the opportunity to work with such high caliber students, and
am grateful to ORCA for supporting the undergraduates in my lab. This mentored
learning opportunity is directly blessing the lives of my students (and to the life of the
PI), and I hope for continued support so that these sorts of experiences can be provided
for additional students.