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In a world full of hungry predators, beetles have mastered the art of chemical defense to survive and diversify throughout their evolutionary history. This defensive prowess is best demonstrated by the bombardier beetles. When threatened, they combine a cocktail of chemicals and enzymes to catalyze an exothermic reaction, scorching their enemies with a toxic spray accompanied by smoke and an audible 'pop'. How does such system evolve through a gradual process? What biosynthetic pathway(s) do these beetles use to make these aromatic chemicals? What genes and enzymes underly the biosynthesis of these toxic chemicals, and where did they originate from?

My research attempts to undercover the molecular basis and evolution of this spectacular trait by comparing the genes and chemicals that underly this process in the Bombardier beetles with a sister lineage that produces a similar chemical compounds known to be a precursor to the bombardier beetles' chemical cocktail. Through differential expression analysis, comparitive transcriptomics, and chemical analysis via Mass Spectroscopy, I hope to identify the genes and chemicals that underly this defensive ability and unveil their evolutionary history.