Genetics and genomics of chalcidoidea

We review research on the genetics and genomics of chalcidoid species. Because sequencing and assembly methods have improved greatly during the past decade, we focus on papers published since 2012. Species in the genus Nasonia have been used to investigate a broad range of topics in genetics, so we discuss the Nasonia model in separate sections. High-throughput sequencing has ushered in a new era where genomes can be assembled and annotated cheaply for any species. These advances have facilitated assembly and annotation of nuclear and mitochondrial genomes for 30 species in 11 of the 50 extant families of chalcidoids. Analysis of gene function has involved mining of these genomes for comparisons among species, mapping of quantitative trait loci, and to some extent, knockout of gene expression. Studies on population genetics have covered 13 chalcidoid species from five families. We summarize the results on each topic and draw conclusions about the strengths and weaknesses in the current state of the field.