Dissertation Research: A Subgeneric Revision of the Genus Nomada (Hymenoptera: Anthophoridae)

博士生拜伦·亚历山大提议利用文献、博物馆参观和借来的收藏品的形态数据，研究野马蜂属内的祖先-后代关系。他的顾问乔治·艾克沃特是群居昆虫研究领域的领军人物。社会行为和寄生行为都是从该属的筑巢祖先进化而来的，目前尚不清楚1)社会物种是该属内一个独立的进化分支，还是2)社会行为是独立进化的几次。为这一群体建立一个完善的进化框架将为评估这些替代方案提供手段。行为的进化是生物学的一个重要方面，某些昆虫的行为，如蜜蜂，可能会产生重要的经济影响。这项拟议的研究可能会产生潜移默化的影响，超越从事这一分类群工作的专家小圈子。

Doctoral student Byron Alexander proposes to study the ancestor-descendant relationships within the bee genus Nomada, using morphological data from the literature, museum visits, and from borrowed collections. His advisor, George Eickwort, is a leading researcher on social insects. Both social and parasitic behavior have evolved from nest-building ancestors in this genus, and it is unclear whether 1) the social species are a separate evolutionary branch within the genus, or 2) social behavior has evolved independently several times. A well-established evolutionary framework for this group would provide the means for assessing these alternatives. The evolution of behavior is an important facet of biology, and behavior of certain insects such as bees can have important economic implications. The proposed research can have subtantial impact beyond the small community of specialists working on this taxon.