Collaborative Research: Molecular Systematics of Drosophila Repleta Group Species

小行星9527950 昆虫群体使用的宿主植物范围可以很广或很窄，包括宿主植物特异性或限于单一宿主。 由于大多数昆虫，占所有动物物种的绝大多数，在其生命周期的某些部分使用植物作为食物或作为繁殖的地方，因此了解昆虫成为宿主专家或多面手的原因很重要。 利用寄主的模式在解释昆虫群体的多样化方面可能很重要。 宿主植物的特定方面可以限制或增加昆虫物种可以使用的宿主的数量。 经过很长一段时间，这可能会产生具有共同宿主亲和力的相关昆虫物种群。 该奖项支持的研究项目将使用DNA序列数据相似性的模式来研究果蝇物种复合体（昆虫纲：双翅目：果蝇科）中40多个物种之间的遗传相关程度。 确定的物种关系模式将与这些物种在自然界中的宿主使用进行比较。 两个集群的物种在这个复杂的，每个有三个物种，将进行更详细的研究，为证据的人口水平的DNA序列数据的变化。 在这个研究小组中的果蝇在仙人掌上繁殖，它们的幼虫以仙人掌宿主植物为食。 有一个明显的主机转移与一些物种喂养仙人掌属仙人掌，其成员很容易识别的桨状部分，其他仙人掌的生长形式是柱状或桶形。 果蝇物种之间的关系的知识将允许确定仙人掌类型之间的这种转变发生的次数。 该奖项将提供一组专门的仙人掌喂养苍蝇的生物多样性和宿主植物协会的信息。 本研究为了解害虫寄主转移和害虫起源提供了一个重要的模型系统，对发展非化学防治害虫具有重要价值。 ***

9527950 DeSalle The range of host plants used by groups of insects can be broad or very narrow, including host plant specificity or restriction to a single host. Since most insects, which constitute the vast majority of all animal species, use plants during some part of their life cycles for food or as a place to reproduce, it is important to understand the causes for insects to be host specialists or generalists. Patterns of host use may be important in explaining the diversification of insect groups. Particular aspects of host plants may either limit or increase the number of hosts an insect species can use. Over long time intervals, this may give rise to related groups of insect species that share host affinities. The research project supported by this award will use patterns of DNA sequence data similarities to study the degree of genetic relatedness among a group of over 40 species in the Drosophila mulleri species complex (Insecta: Diptera: Drosophilidae). The pattern of species relationships determined will be compared to the host use of these species in nature. Two clusters of species in this complex, each with three species, will be studied in greater detail for evidence of population level variation in DNA sequence data. The fruit flies in this study group breed on cacti and their larvae feed on cactus host plants. There has been an apparent host shift with some species feeding on the cactus genus Opuntia, whose members are easily recognized by paddle shaped parts, to other cacti whose growth form is columnar or barrel shaped. Knowledge of relationships among the Drosophila species will allow determination of the number of times that this shift between cactus types has occurred. %%% This award will provide information on the biodiversity and host plant associations in a group of specialized cactus feeding flies. This research represents an important model system for understanding host shifts and the origin of insect pests that may be of value in developing non-chemica l means of controlling pests. ***