Dissertation Research: The Effects of Positive and Negative Selection on Floral Characters in Natural Populations of Silene latifolia

9701097 Meagher昆虫可以通过它们作为传粉者和捕食者的不同角色对开花植物造成积极和消极的选择。 该项目解决选择压力放置在宽叶蝇子草（白色坎皮翁）花的Hadena属，这是传粉者和种子捕食者的蛾。 Hadena蛾作为传粉媒介的相对重要性将被评估为白色坎皮翁生长在其原生的西班牙环境。 将通过使用遗传亲子关系分析重建授粉事件来评估积极影响。 将通过调查种子捕食来评估负面影响。 蛾访问的正面和负面影响将分析有关的花的大小，这是重要的蛾吸引。 捕食的长期影响将通过分析种群之间的变化在花的大小与观察到的当前捕食率。 这个系统提供了一个难得的机会来研究两个物种之间的相互作用，涉及积极和消极的选择。 种子捕食也是农业系统中的一个主要问题，在农业系统中，授粉是可取的，但种子捕食者的吸引力不是。

9701097 Meagher Insects can cause positive and negative selection on flowering plants through their contrasting roles as pollinators and predators. This project addresses selection pressures placed on Silene latifolia (white campion) flowers by moths of the Hadena genus, which are pollinators and seed predators. The relative importance of Hadena moths as pollinators will be assessed for white campion growing in its native Spanish environment. Positive effects will be evaluated by reconstructing pollination events using genetic paternity analysis. Negative effects will be evaluated by investigating seed predation. Both positive and negative impacts of moth visitation will be analyzed in relation to flower size, which is important for moth attraction. Long-term effects of predation will be investigated by analyzing variation among populations in flower size in relation to observed current predation rates. This system provides a rare opportunity to study an interaction between two species that involves both positive and negative selection. Seed predation is also a major issue in agricultural systems, where pollination is desirable but the attraction of seed predators is not.