Dissertation Research: Geographic Variation in Life History Traits of Myrmeleon immaculatus

论文研究：Myrmeleon immaculatus 生活史特征的地理变异

• 批准号: 9701122
• 负责人: Nicholas Gotelli
• 金额: $ 0.8万
• 依托单位: University of Vermont & State Agricultural College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1997
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1997-07-01 至 1998-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9701122&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Dissertation; Research; Geographic; Variation; Life

9701122 Gotelli This research focuses on geographic variation in body size of the ant lion, Myrmeleon immaculatus. Ant lions are larval insects common throughout the eastern and southern United States. They live for 1 to 3 years as larvae, and are effective sit-and-wait predators on arthropods. Collections of larvae from 37 populations, ranging from Oklahoma to New York, revealed that M. immaculatus body size increased with latitude: northern ant lions were larger than southern ant lionq. This research addresses whether this pattern is due to nature versus nurture. In other words, is ant lion body size variation due to genetic or environmental influences? This question will be answered by raising first-instar larvae in environmentally controlled growth chambers. This experiment removes environmental influences and reveals genetic determinants of growth. To complement this study, larvae will be reared in the field in a reciprocal transplant experiment between sites in Oklahoma and Connecticut. The results from these two experiments will reveal whether growth rates and adult body size of ant lions are determined primarily by individuals genes or by the environment in which they are raised. Other factors that may influence insect body size at different latitudes are temperature and prey abundance and distribution. The effects of food and temperature on growth rate will be tested by raising larvae from northern and southern populations at different temperatures and food levels. Prey body sizes will be determined by pitfall-trapping at 25 different sites between Georgia and Vermont. These data will reveal whether there is a correlation between ant lion body size and prey body size and abundance. This study will enhance our understanding of the environmental and genetic components of body size, and reveal the nature of life history variation on a large geographic scale.

9701122 Gotelli这项研究的重点是蚁狮（Myrendon immaculatus）身体大小的地理差异。 蚁狮是在美国东部和南部常见的幼虫昆虫。它们的幼虫寿命为1至3年，是节肢动物的有效捕食者。 从俄克拉荷马州到纽约的37个种群收集的幼虫显示，M.无斑蚁的个体大小随纬度的增加而增大：北方蚁狮大于南方蚁狮。 这项研究探讨了这种模式是否是由于先天与后天。 换句话说，蚁狮体型的变化是由于遗传还是环境的影响？ 这个问题将通过在环境控制的生长室中饲养一龄幼虫来回答。 这个实验消除了环境的影响，揭示了生长的遗传决定因素。 为了补充这项研究，幼虫将在俄克拉荷马州和康涅狄格州之间的相互移植实验中在田间饲养。这两个实验的结果将揭示蚁狮的生长速度和成年体型主要是由个体基因还是由它们饲养的环境决定的。 其他可能影响不同纬度昆虫体型的因素是温度和猎物的丰度和分布。 将通过在不同温度和食物水平下饲养来自北方和南方种群的幼虫来测试食物和温度对生长速率的影响。 猎物的身体大小将通过在格鲁吉亚州和佛蒙特州之间的25个不同地点进行陷阱诱捕来确定。 这些数据将揭示蚁狮体型与猎物体型和丰度之间是否存在相关性。 这项研究将加深我们对体型大小的环境和遗传成分的理解，并揭示大地理尺度上生活史变异的本质。