Dissertation Research: Effects of Host Plant Chemistry on the Evolution of an Insect Herbivore

Shaffer和Rank将使用一种杨柳叶甲虫（柳甲 aenicollis）研究当地环境条件的影响 动物社会行为的成本和收益。 这些 甲虫以内华达州的高海拔柳树为食 加州东部的山脉。 幼虫使用化学物质， 水杨苷，从柳树，以保护自己免受潜在的 捕食者 此外，这些甲虫聚集它们的卵， 幼虫成群觅食，这可能会使化学物质 防御更有效。 他们将研究如何成本和 幼虫社会行为的益处取决于叶子的化学成分 它们的寄主植物。 为了做到这一点，他们将进行实验 在自然界中测量幼虫和卵的存活率， 不同大小的柳树与不同数量的水杨苷， 树叶 他们还将使用一种生化技术， 电泳，研究进化关系之间 几个山谷中的甲虫种群 他们的结果 应该对植物-食草动物领域做出重大贡献 互动

Shaffer and Rank will use a willow leaf beetle (Chrysomela aenicollis) to study the effects of local environment conditions on the costs and benefits of animal social behavior. These beetles feed on high elevation willows in the Sierra Nevada mountains of Eastern California. The larvae use a chemical, salicin, from the willows to protect themselves from potential predators. Additionally, these beetles cluster their eggs and feed in groups as larvae, which probably makes the chemical defense more effective. They will study how the costs and benefits of larval social behavior depend on the leaf chemistry of their host plants. To do this, they will conduct experiments in nature measuring larval and egg survivorship among groups of different sizes on willows with different amounts of salicin in the leaves. They will also use a biochemical technique, gel electrophoresis, to study the evolutionary relationships between beetle populations in several mountain canyons. Their results should contribute substantially to the field of plant-herbivore interaction.