Agricultural applications of insect ecological genomics

• Ecological genomic approaches are useful in agricultural entomology.
• Endosymbiont genome analysis, RNAi, and GWAS lend insights towards insect control.
• Genomics of insect gut communities reveal new approaches to biofuel generation.
• Insect genomes are essential for developing new solutions for agricultural problems.

Agricultural entomology is poised to benefit from the application of ecological genomics, particularly the fields of biofuels generation and pest control. Metagenomic methods can characterize microbial communities of termites, wood-boring beetles and livestock pests, and transcriptomic approaches reveal molecular bases behind wood-digesting capabilities of these insects, leading to potential mechanisms for biofuel generation. Genome sequences are being exploited to develop new pest control methods, identify candidate antigens to vaccinate livestock, and discover RNAi target sequences and potential non-target effects in other insects. Gene content analyses of pest genome sequences and their endosymbionts suggest metabolic interdependencies between organisms, exposing potential gene targets for insect control. Finally, genome-wide association studies and genotyping by high-throughput sequencing promise to improve management of pesticide resistance.