The role of nectar composition in plant-animal interactions

该奖项为纽约州立大学弗里多尼亚分校生物系提供支持，以继续成功的本科生研究经验项目。SITE将通过让10名本科生参与植物-昆虫相互作用的调查，每年培养他们的智力成长和情感发展。研究将集中在氨基酸在吸引昆虫到植物花蜜中所起的作用，以及花蜜衍生的氨基酸在滋养采蜜者中的作用。该项目的参与者将收集植物花蜜，观察昆虫的行为，对喂食不同花蜜食物的昆虫的脂质和蛋白质成分进行生化分析，并检验花蜜饮食与营养状况之间的关系。在三年的每一年里，这个项目将分为两个部分，夏季和冬季。这八周的暑期课程将提供一周的理论和方法介绍，三周的小组项目指导研究，以及四周的独立的，参与者发起的项目。在秋季学期，参与者将分析他们独立项目的结果。他们将于1月返回弗里多尼亚，准备在次年4月举行的东部大学科学会议上进行口头报告。该项目的学生研究人员将通过以下途径获得发展：1)加深对生态学、行为、进化、生物化学和生理学的理解；2)具体领域和实验室研究技术的实践经验；3)批判性阅读和分析思维的实践；4)获得各种研究支持技能。所有这些成就将增强参与者的情感成熟度，帮助他们确定作为科学家的职业选择，并在某些情况下提高他们的抱负。

This award provides support to the Department of Biology at the State University of New York at Fredonia to continue a successful Research Experiences for Undergraduates program. The SITE will foster the intellectual growth and emotional development of 10 undergraduate participants per year by involving them in a investigation of plant-insect interactions. The research will focus on the role that amino acids play in attracting insects to plant nectars and on the role of nectar-derived amino acids in nourishing the nectar feeders. Participants in the project will collect plant nectars, observe insect behavior, biochemically analyze the lipid and protein components of insects fed different nectariferous diets, and test hypotheses that relate the nectar diet to nutritional status. In each of the three years, this project will be divided into two parts, summer and winter. The eight summer weeks will offer one week of introduction to theory and methods, three weeks of directed research on group projects, and four weeks of independent, participant-originated projects. During the fall semester, participants will analyze the results of their independent projects. They will return to Fredonia in January, when they will prepare oral presentations of their projects to be presented at the Eastern College Science Conference the following April. Student researchers in this project will develop through: 1) an increased understanding of ecology, behavior, evolution, biochemistry, and physiology, 2) hands-on experience with specific field and laboratory research techniques, 3) practice in critical reading and analytical thinking, and 4) acquisition of a variety of research support skills. All of these accomplishments will enhance the emotional maturity of participants, help define their career choices as scientists, and, in some cases, raise their aspirations.