Whole-body transcriptome of the Douglas-fir seed chalcid, Megastigmus spermotrophus, reveals ecological and evolutionary insights.

Abstract This chapter aims to show the utility of whole-body transcriptomics in the study of wasp venom evolution and of associated microorganisms, such as viruses, bacteria and intracellular parasites. It focuses on a unique chalcid wasp, Megastigmus spermotrophus, that has secondarily evolved to parasitize conifer trees using unknown mechanisms of host manipulation.