Biogeographic, Molecular Genetic, and Field-Experimental Analyses of Plant-Herbivore Interactions in Oak Hybrid Zones

橡树杂交区植物-草食动物相互作用的生物地理学、分子遗传学和田间实验分析

• 批准号: 9632154
• 负责人: William Boecklen
• 金额: $ 30万
• 依托单位: New Mexico State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 1996
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1996-08-15 至 2000-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9632154&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Biogeographic; Molecular; Genetic; Field; Experimental

9632154 Boecklen Over the past twenty years, the study of hybrid zones has grown from a backwater of systematics to one of the most dynamic areas in evolutionary biology and ecology. Hybrid zones are centers of genetic diversity, and so represent ideal experimental systems in which to investigate evolutionary processes, including natural selection and interactions between hosts and parasites. Despite the renewed interest in hybrid zones among ecologists, the influence of hybrid zones on plant-insect interactions is poorly understood. The proposed research will examine hybrid zones of Madrean and Southwestern oaks, and will use a combination of biogeographic, molecular genetic, and field experimental approaches to investigate the effects of host plant hybridization on herbivore population dynamics and community structure. In addition, the influence of plant hybridization on the outcome of antagonistic interactions between endophytic fungi and interactions between endophytes and herbivores will be tested using field inoculations of fungal species onto oak hosts. The proposed research will contribute to our understanding of plant-herbivore interactions, and will help identify factors that influence plant susceptibility to herbivore attack. By understanding how herbivores respond to genetically novel host plants (i.e, hybrids), results of this research will provide important insights into developing new strains of pest-resistant crop plants. In addition, the results of this research will provide background data on the potential use of endophyte fungi as biocontrol agents against insect herbivores.

在过去的二十年里，杂交区的研究已经从系统学的死水发展成为进化生物学和生态学中最具活力的领域之一。 杂交区是遗传多样性的中心，因此代表了研究进化过程（包括自然选择以及宿主和寄生虫之间的相互作用）的理想实验系统。 尽管生态学家对杂交区重新产生了兴趣，但对杂交区对植物-昆虫相互作用的影响知之甚少。 拟议的研究将检查Madrean和西南橡树的杂交区，并将使用地理学，分子遗传学和田间实验方法相结合，调查宿主植物杂交对食草动物种群动态和群落结构的影响。 此外，植物杂交的结果内生真菌之间的拮抗相互作用和内生菌和草食动物之间的相互作用的影响将测试使用现场接种的真菌物种到橡树主机。 拟议的研究将有助于我们理解植物-食草动物的相互作用，并将有助于确定影响植物对食草动物攻击敏感性的因素。 通过了解食草动物如何对遗传上新的宿主植物（即杂交种）作出反应，这项研究的结果将为开发抗害虫作物新品系提供重要的见解。 此外，本研究的结果将提供背景数据的潜在用途的内生真菌作为生物防治剂对昆虫植食动物。