U.S.-Australian Cooperative Research: Pollination Ecology and Selection in Plants that Mimic Insects

该奖项将支持罗格斯大学生物科学系Steven N. Handel教授和澳大利亚悉尼麦考瑞大学生物科学学院Andrew J. Beattie教授之间为期三年的合作研究项目。这项活动是在美澳合作科学项目下进行的。科学家们将研究所谓的性欺骗植物的生态学和进化生物学（植物的花模仿雌性昆虫，从而吸引雄性昆虫交配，从而影响花粉运输）。这种模仿只发生在兰花科中，虽然不寻常，但在澳大利亚的数百种兰花中都有观察到，在其他地方的程度要小得多。研究人员希望探索这样一种假设，即这些植物种群的遗传结构与那些基于食物奖励（花蜜或花粉）的昆虫觅食策略的授粉结果显着不同。兰花属Chiloglottis的特定物种，由雄性九蜂授粉，将进行研究。将对胡蜂在花间的飞行运动和花粉传递动态进行实地观察。研究了不同花间平均距离和花高对传粉者行为的影响。此外，将从田间具有代表性的种群中采集植物样本，并利用凝胶电泳技术确定其遗传谱。在这些物种中观察到的授粉模式和基因流之间的相关性将被寻求。这项进化生态学的研究将为目前昆虫运动模式决定植物种群遗传结构的理论概括提供一个独立的测试。此外，这项工作对这些兰花的保护也有意义，其中一些兰花是濒危物种。该项目的合作科学家为研究带来了互补的研究优势。汉德尔教授的专长是植物生态学，特别是传粉生物学和基因流动动力学。贝蒂教授在群体遗传学和植物群体的生化分析方面有相当丰富的经验。实地研究将在澳大利亚选定的地点进行，实验室分析将在悉尼的麦考瑞大学进行。

This award will support a three-year collaborative research project between Professor Steven N. Handel, Department of Biological Sciences, Rutgers University, and Professor Andrew J. Beattie, School of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. The activity takes place under the U.S.-Australia Cooperative Science Program. The scientists will study the ecology and evolutionary biology of so-called sexually deceptive plants (plants with flowers that mimic female insects, thus attracting male insects to mate and thereby effecting pollen transport). The mimicry is known to occur only within the orchid family, and though unusual, it is observed among hundreds of species in Australia, and to a much lesser extent elsewhere. The investigators wish to explore the hypothesis that the genetic structure of these plant populations is significantly different from those in which pollination is the result of an insect foraging strategy based on food rewards (nectar or pollen). Specific species of the orchid genus Chiloglottis, pollinated by male thynnine wasps, will be studied. Field observations of the wasp flight movements among the flowers, as well as pollen transfer dynamics, will be carried out. The effects of varying average inter-flower distance and flower height on pollinator behavior will be investigated. In addition, plant samples will be taken from representative populations in the field and their genetic profiles determined, using the technique of gel electrophoresis. Correlations between the observed pollination patterns and gene flow in these species will be sought. This research in evolutionary ecology will provide an independent test of current theoretical generalizations that insect movement patterns determine the genetic structure of plant populations. In addition, the work has implications for the conservation of these orchids, some of which are endangered species. The cooperating scientists in this project bring complementary research strengths to the study. Professor Handel's expertise is in plant ecology, especially pollination biology and gene flow dynamics. Professor Beattie has considerable experience in population genetics and the biochemical analysis of plant populations. The field studies will be carried out at selected Australian locations, and the laboratory analyses performed at Macquarie University, in Sydney.