Taxonomic and Cladistic Studies of Agathidium Beetles

首席研究员昆汀·惠勒建议继续他对一群主要以黏菌为食的甲虫进化的研究。他之前的研究分析了甲虫的进化关系，以及与真菌物种的关联模式。这项拟议的项目将完成惠勒对北美洲代表的毒蛾属的系统描述和分类，并将有助于惠勒为真菌-昆虫相互作用建立的大型数据库。这项拟议的研究具有超出甲虫分类学限制的影响。惠勒的研究将确定密切相关的甲虫是否倾向于专攻同一真菌物种，以及每种甲虫群体的特征如何为其特定食物资源的利用提供依据。惠勒还将研究利用甲虫早期幼虫特征重建其进化关系的新方法。

Principal investigator Quentin Wheeler proposes a continuation of his research into the evolution of a group of beetles that feed predominantly on slime molds. His previous studies have analyzed the evolutionary relationships of the beetles, as well as the patterns of associations with fungal species. The proposed project would complete his systematic description and classification of the North American representatives of the genus Agathidium, and would contribute to the large database Wheeler has constructed for fungal-insect interactions. The proposed research has implications beyond the limits of beetle taxonomy. Wheeler's research will establish whether or not closely related beetles tend to specialize on the same fungal species, and how the characteristics of each beetle group provide for utilization of its particular food resource. Wheeler will also be investigating new ways to use the early larval characteristics of the beetles to reconstruct their evolutionary relationships.