Behavioral Plasticity and Phylogenetic Constraint in the Social Evolution of Bumble Bees (Biology)

社会组织中的行为可塑性与Hytertera（蚂蚁、蜜蜂和黄蜂）中显著不同的社会性水平的进化有关。 本研究将以熊蜂Fervidobombus亚属的比较行为与生殖发育来探讨此观念。 种Fervidobombus，凭借其种间和种内的表型多样性，在广泛的地理种群之间的社会组织，是理想的测试假设行为可塑性在社会组织中的作用。 Fervidobombus内的社会特征的多样性的演变，可以通过明确的参考生殖最好的理解。 例如，如果群体规模和社会组织是对地理上不同环境的局部适应（反映了行为的可塑性），那么可以预期，社会特征和环境变量将聚集在系统发育树的相同分支上。 这个假设将通过优化行为特征到遗传树上并测试关联来进行测试。 拟议的研究将导致Fervidobombus社会组织的新的比较数据，并完成基于线粒体基因组核苷酸序列的物种遗传学。 互动活动包括：（1）发展一个现代化的研究生程度的系统学课程;（2）发展一个系统学实验室，用作互动设施;及（3）发展一个电脑设施，用作教学及训练工具。 与学生和教师的其他互动包括早期职业女性科学家研讨会系列和博物馆午餐。

Behavioral plasticity in social organization has been linked to the evolution of the strikingly different levels of sociality exhibited among the Hymenoptera (ants, bees, and wasps). This research will study this idea with comparative behavior and phylogeny of the bumble bee subgenus Fervidobombus. Species of Fervidobombus, by virtue of their inter- and intraspecific phenotypic diversity in social organization among widespread geographic populations, are ideal for testing hypotheses concerning the role of behavioral plasticity in social organization. The evolution of diversity in social traits within Fervidobombus can best be understood through explicit reference to phylogeny. If, for example, colony size and social organization are local adaptations (reflecting behavioral plasticity) to geographically varying environments, then it would be expected that the social traits and environmental variables would cluster together on the same branches of a phylogenetic tree. This hypothesis will be tested optimizing behavioral traits onto a phylogentic tree and testing for association. The proposed research will lead to new comparative data on Fervidobombus social organization and to the completion of a species phylogeny based on nucleotide sequences from the mitochondrial genome. Interactive activities include: (1) developing a modern graduate level systematics course; (2) developing a systematics laboratory for use as an interactive facility; and (3) developing a computer facility for use as a teaching and training tool. Additional interactions with students and faculty include an early career female-scientists seminar series and museum lunch.