GROUP DESCRIPTION

Evolutionary novelties are biological revolutions: new organs are critically associated with the emergence of new species and their exploitation of new niches, however, the origin of morphological novelties is a long-standing question in Evolutionary Biology.

Our interest is to understand how gene networks evolved in order to give rise to new organs and structures that favoured the radiation of insects. The mayfly species Cloeon dipterum is a privileged model to study evolutionary innovations. First, these mayflies display one of the most striking examples of a sexually dimorphic novel structure. C. dipterum males develop, in addition to the compound eyes, an extra pair of dorsal, turban-shaped eyes. Furthermore, as sister group of all other winged insects, they are key to understand the origin of insect wings, which led to the conquest of the sky and the adaptation to a huge diversity of new ecological niches. Finally, mayflies experience two completely different ecological niches: as juveniles or nymphs, they live in aquatic environments while as adults they are flying individuals, thus, they are a great system to understand adaptations to different habitats.

We have established mayflies as a model system in the lab with a continuous culture of C. dipterum inbred lines and the generation of a variety of «omics» resources. Using these datasets, we investigate gene expression to show how specific gene networks could have evolved to play a role in the origin of these new organs, wings and turbanate eyes, first originated in mayflies. Moreover, we developed several tools that permit us to functionally test the role of these networks in the appearance of these novel structures.

GROUP OBJECTIVES

The lab is interested in understanding how gene networks evolved in order to give rise to new organs and structures that favoured the radiation of insects. The mayfly species Cloeon dipterum is a privileged model to study evolutionary novelties.

RESEARCH GROUP MEMBERS

Group leader

Isabel Almudí

I am an Associate Professor at the Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics Department at the University of Barcelona. My research interests focus on the developmental processes that control animal morphology and how they evolved to give rise to the huge diversity of animals and their sensory and ecological adaptations.

Postdoctoral researcher

Maria Rosselló

I am fascinated by how different gene programs can define features in a single organism and between species. During my PhD I studied the role of the hippo pathway in cell cycle, cell differentiation, apoptosis and the formation of overgrowths in planarians. Currently, I am applying my experience in developmental biology and Bioinformatics to unveil the genetic basis of morphological novelties in mayflies.

Postdoctoral researcher

Rafath Chowdhury

I am passionate about the field of EvoDevo. During my thesis I studied the establishment of epidermal sensory neurons in invertebrate chordates. During this postdoc, I will study how morphological novelties arise in mayflies using my knowledge of molecular and developmental biology.

MSCA Postdoctoral researcher

Sophie Tandonnet

I am an evolutionary biologist captivated by the processes underlying the evolution of complex traits. My research journey has taken me from unraveling the mysteries of sex determination in a unique nematode (PhD) to exploring the evolution of parasitism in blowflies (post-doc). Currently, I’m delving into the fascinating world of mayflies, exploring how the genome of Cloeon dipterum (and its expression) orchestrates the emergence of remarkable features such as wings and the sexually dimorphic visual system.

Postdoctoral Researcher

Alba Almazán

I am thrilled by how development drives the vast diversity of life and how these mechanisms evolved. During my PhD, I studied regeneration in the crustacean Parhyale hawaiensis, focusing on cell diversity and the fidelity of this process. For my postdoc, I aim to delve into the origin of wings as a morphological innovation in the mayfly Cloeon dipterum.​

PhD student

Tòt Senar

I always wondered how animals perceive their external environment and how visual capabilities evolved in the different animal lineages. In the mayflyecoevodevo lab, I  am investigating these questions using the mayfly C. dipterum and its extraordinary visual systems.

PhD student

María Morán

I am interested in understanding how GRNs evolved to give rise to different colourations.

Bioinformatician

Joan Pallarés

I have long been fascinated by how information is stored, regulated and modified in genomes. My interests range from human health to insects, and along the way I have used both experimental and computational tools. Currently, I am devoted to help unveil the complexities of the mayfly C. dipterum genome through bioinformatics.

Lab manager and research technician

Marta Gual

I studied Chemistry at the University of Barcelona. I am applying my previous experience in zebra fish and Daphnia culture to maintain the mayfly lines in the lab. I also assist experimentally the rest of the team and manage the lab.  

RESEARCH LINES

  1. Understanding the origin of a new visual system
  2. The origin of wings in insects
  3. Adaptations to aquatic and aerial environments
  4. Phenotypic plasticity in mayflies

PROJECTS

  1. PID2023-151401NB-I00. Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MICIU). (from Sept- 2024 to Aug-2027). PI: Isabel Almudí
  2. H2020-MSCA-IF-2023 101147787. European Commission. (from February-2025 to January-2027). PI: Isabel Almudí; Recipient: Sophie Tandonnet.
  3. CNS2023-145403. Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN). (from April 2024 to March 2026). PI: Isabel Almudí
  1. Horizon Europe ERC-CoG2021-101043751: The evolution of new organs during insects’ conquest of the sky. European Commission. (from Feb-2023 to Jan-2028). PI: Isabel Almudí
  2. PID2020-116041GB-I00. Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN). (from Sept- 2021 to Aug-2024). PI: Isabel Almudí
  3. IN[21]_CMA_BIO_0056. Becas Leonardo, Fundación Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA). (from July-2021 to Dec-2022). PI: Isabel Almudí
  4. H2020-MSCA-IF-2014_ST EvoNovo 657732. European Commission. (from January-2026 to Dec-2018). PI: Fernando Casares; Recipient: Isabel Almudí.
  5. BB/M020967/1 (BBSRC, UK). The evolution and development of cell number and organ size. PIs: Alistair P. McGregor and Isabel Almudi. (from March-2015 to Apr-2018)(declined to accept position at CABD, Spain)

PUBLICATIONS

  1. Torres-Oliva, M*, [11 authors], McGregor A# & Almudi I#. Heterochrony in orthodenticle expression is associated with ommatidial size variation between Drosophila species. BMC Biology 23, 34 (2025).
  2. J Pallares-Albanell*, L Ortega-Flores*, T Senar, A Ruiz, J Abril, M Rossello#, I. Almudi#. Gene regulatory dynamics during the development of a paleopteran insect, the mayfly Cloeon dipterum Dev dev.203017. (2024)
  3. C Martín-Blanco, P Navarro, J Esteban, F Serras, I Almudi#, F Casares#. 2024. Gill regeneration in the mayfly Cloeon uncovers new molecular pathways in insect regeneration Open Biology, 14, 240118. (2024)
  4. Almudi, I.#., Vizueta, J., [21 other authors], M., Maeso, I., Casares, F.#., 2020. Genomic adaptations to aquatic and aerial life in mayflies and the origin of insect wings. Nature Comms 11, 2631.(2020)
  5. Almudi, I.#., Martin-Blanco, C, Garcia, I, Lopez, A., Davie, K., Aerts, S., Casares, F.#., 2019. Establishment of the mayfly Cloeon dipterum as a new model system to investigate insect evolution. Evodevo 10, 6. (2019)
  6. Almudi, I*#. and J. Pascual-Anaya*# (2019). How Do Morphological Novelties Evolve? Novel Approaches to Define Novel Morphologies. Old Questions and Young Approaches to Animal Evolution. J. M. Martín-Durán & B. C. Vellutini. Cham, Springer Inter Publishing: 107-132. (2019)
  7. F Mantica, [17 authors], I Almudi, D Martin, M Irimia#. 2024.. Pervasive evolution of tissue-specificity of ancestral genes differentially shaped vertebrates and insects.Nat Eco Evo 8, 1140–1153 (2024).
  8. S Molina-Gil, S Sotillos, JM Espinosa, I Almudi & J C-G Hombría. Interlocking of co-opted developmental gene networks in Drosophila and the evolution of pre-adaptive novelty. NatComms 14, 5730 (2023)
  9. O Kamsoi, A Ventos, F Casares, I Almudi, X Belles#. Regulation of metamorphosis in neopteran insects is conserved in the paleopteran Cloeon dipterum (Ephemeroptera) PNAS 118 (34) e2105272118 (2021).
  10. Gaspar, P.*, Almudi, I.*, Nunes, M.D.S., McGregor, A.P., 2019. Human eye conditions: insights from the fly eye. Human Genetics 138, 973-991. (2019)