Mechanisms and Strategies of Arthropod Adaptation to the Chemical Environment

In their natural environment, arthropods face extensive chemical pressure from their hosts, predators, parasitoids, competitors, and many other abiotic factors such as pesticides. The remarkable success of arthropods is largely associated with their adaptive capabilities in coping with these chemical stresses. With recent advances in genomic and post-genomic technologies, more and more mechanisms and strategies of arthropod chemical adaptation have been revealed, which shed new light on understanding arthropod-host interactions, pesticide resistance, and chemoreception.

An integrated view of protein structures and functions in xenobiotic detoxification, pesticide resistance, chemoreception, antioxidant defense, gut microbiome associated xenobiotic adaptation will support precision pest management and bolster beneficial species conservation. Here, we are gathering both original research and review papers with the scope of the research topic including but not limited to:

• Identification of new genes that respond to chemical stimulus;
• Characterization of new proteins (e.g. detoxification and/or antioxidant enzymes, receptors, transporters, transcription factors) or new protein functions in chemical adaptation;
• Characterization of new pathways or mechanisms (e.g. horizontal gene transfer, gut microbiome) involved in adaptation to the chemical environment;
• Evolutionary analysis of genes or proteins involved in adaptation to the chemical environment.