Dissertation Research: Comparative Morphology & Cladistic Biogeography of Verres (Coleoptera: Passalidae; Proculini)

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

9520759 LIEBHERR This award will contribute support to the doctoral dissertation research of a student at Cornell University. That project involves the phylogenetic analysis of relationships among species in the beetle genus Verres (Insecta: Coleoptera: Passalidae: Proculini) and its affinities to other closely related genera. Characters from both adult and larval morphology will be employed and the resulting "tree" of relationships will be utilized to test historical biogeographic hypotheses about geological relationships of land areas in Mexico and Central America. Funds awarded will support travel for the student to visit and study type specimens at major European museums, travel to conduct collecting and field studies in Mexico and Guatemala (the student is independently applying for travel support from Cornell University to enable field work in Panama and Costa Rica), and scanning electron microscopic examination of ultrastructural features of these beetles. Members of the beetle family Passalidae are extremely important components of tropical forest ecosystems. These beetles excavate galleries in dead wood where they brood their young socially. Their biology parallels that of termites in many respects; both are major decomposers living in colonies that have many associations with fungi, nematodes and other decomposing "invertebrates." A clear understanding of relationships among these beetles will allow testing of interesting hypotheses about origins of social, behavior, mutualistic associations with other organisms, biogeography, etc.. %%% This award will contribute to the training of a young insect systematist at a time when training of a future generation of systematic expertise, especially for insects and other invertebrate groups, is reaching crisis proportions. The studies of this student will contribute to our knowledge of the biodiversity of an important group of decomposer organisms in tropical forest ecosystems. ***