The origins of posteruption insect populations on the Aleutian Island of Kasatochi

This project attempts to determine if populations on post-eruption Kasatochi are descendants of pre-eruption populations (i.e. are survivors) or are descendants of immigrants from other islands. Kasatochi erupted in 2008, two months after the island had been briefly surveyed for terrestrial arthropods. Having pre-eruption data allows a unique and rare perspective on ecosystem assembly. I will use the mtDNA gene COI from insect specimens from Kasatochi and surrounding islands to determine the origins of post-eruption insect populations. These tests will focus primarily on two groups of insects; winged shore-flies in the family Scathophagidae and a species of a wingless agyrtid beetle; Lyrosoma opacum.