REU: ROW: Cytoplasmically Inherited Incompatibility Factors in the Flour Beetle Tribolium confusum

这项研究将研究一种影响其面粉甲虫宿主--迷彩拟谷盗--生殖不亲和性的微生物的生态和进化后果。感染了这种特殊微生物的雄性在与没有感染的雌性交配时不能产生后代。这种微生物是从母亲传给后代的。如果将微生物引入未受感染的人群，在对宿主没有足够负面影响的情况下，它预计会在人群中传播。史蒂文斯博士将研究生殖不相容如何影响宿主健康、精子利用和精子竞争。她还将确定细胞质因子对高温固化的敏感性是否存在变化。这项研究对基础科学研究很重要，因为它将阐明这种感染微生物和它们的宿主之间的相互作用在进化过程中是如何重要的。研究结果还可能在害虫管理中有潜在的应用；粉甲本身就是一种主要的储藏产品害虫。

The research will examine the ecological and evolutionary consequences of a microorganism that affects reproductive incompatibility in its flour beetle host, Tribolium confusum. Males infected with this particular microorganism cannot produce progeny when mated with females that are not infected. The microorganism is transmitted from mothers to their offspring. If the microorganism is introduced into an uninfected population, in the absence of sufficient negative effects on its host, it is expected to spread through the population. Dr. Stevens will examine how the reproductive incompatibility affects host fitness, sperm utilization, and sperm competition. She will also determine if there is variation in sensitivity of the cytoplasmic factor to curing by high temperature. This research is important to basic scientific research because it will shed light on how interactions among such infective microorganism and their host are important in the process of evolution. The results may also have potential applications in pest management; the flour beetle itself is a major stored products pest.