US-South Africa Dissertation Enhancement: The Evolution of Long-Tongued Fly Pollinators (Diptera: Tabanidae)

美国-南非论文强化：长舌蝇传粉者的进化（双翅目：虻科）

• 批准号: 0138288
• 负责人: Michael Sanderson
• 金额: $ 2.2万
• 依托单位: University of California-Davis
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2002
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2002-08-01 至 2005-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0138288&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: US; South; Africa; Dissertation; Enhancement

0138288M. SandersonThis dissertation enhancement grant supports a US graduate student, Ms. Shelah Morita, working under the guidance of Professor Michael Sanderson, in the Section of Evolution and Ecology at the University of California-Davis, to conduct a study in South Africa on the coevolution of long-tongued horse flies (Diptera: Tabanidae) and the deep-throated flowers that they pollinate.The study of coevolution can provide knowledge about the importance of species interactions in speciation, but present day associations between species may not reflect their past relationships. Diptera: Tabanidae is an ideal system for studying coevolution because their unusually long mouthparts are thought to covary with the morphological features of the flowers on which they feed, and it has already been demonstrated that these horse flies are closely tied to the fitness of the endemic flora of the South African fynbos region. But the biogeographical distribution of this group of horse flies does not match the predicted biotic distribution provided by the current understanding of historical biogeography. Ms. Morita hypotheses that: 1) Nectar-feeding Tabanidae in South Africa have coevolved with the plants they pollinate, and 2) Blood feeding is ancestral in female long-tongued horse flies within the tribe Philolichini. She also seeks to learn if the current classification of horse flies correctly represents their evolutionary relationships. Through a unique combination of phylogenetic approach and population-level studies, Ms. Morita will first study the phylogenies of both plants and pollinators, after which she will analyze the coevolution of proboscis length and nectar spur length in order to understand the evolutionary relationships within this group of Tabanidae. The student will use data obtained from field collected samples and institutional specimens. Dr. Steven Johnson, with the School of Botany and Zoology at the University of Natal, is a noted authority on the pollination ecology and plant systematics of this system, and he will provide guidance on this project to Ms. Morita. The results of this study are expected to advance the current knowledge on how animals and plants coevolve and new feeding behaviors are acquired. This project will also support an international research experience very early in the career of an outstanding graduate student.The Office of International Science and Engineering and the Division of Environmental Biology jointly fund this project.

0138288M。桑德森这项论文增强资助资助了加州大学戴维斯分校进化与生态学系的美国研究生 Shelah Morita 女士，在迈克尔·桑德森教授的指导下，在南非进行了一项关于长舌马蝇（双翅目：虻科）和它们授粉的深喉花的共同进化的研究。共同进化的研究可以提供有关物种重要性的知识。 物种之间的相互作用，但目前物种之间的关联可能并不反映它们过去的关系。 双翅目：虻科是研究协同进化的理想系统，因为它们异常长的口器被认为与它们所吃的花朵的形态特征共同变化，而且已经证明这些马蝇与南非凡波斯地区特有植物群的适应性密切相关。 但是，这群马蝇的生物地理分布与当前对历史生物地理学的理解所提供的预测生物分布不符。 森田女士假设：1）南非的食花蜜虻科动物与它们授粉的植物共同进化，2）吸血是 Philolichini 部落中雌性长舌马蝇的祖先。 她还试图了解目前马蝇的分类是否正确地代表了它们的进化关系。 通过系统发育方法和种群水平研究的独特结合，森田女士将首先研究植物和传粉昆虫的系统发育，然后分析长鼻长度和花蜜支长度的协同进化，以了解该蓼科类群内的进化关系。 学生将使用从现场收集的样本和机构标本中获得的数据。 纳塔尔大学植物学和动物学学院的史蒂文·约翰逊博士是该系统授粉生态学和植物系统学方面的著名权威，他将为森田女士提供有关该项目的指导。这项研究的结果预计将推进目前关于动植物如何共同进化以及新的摄食行为获得的知识。 该项目还将支持优秀研究生在职业生涯早期的国际研究经验。国际科学与工程办公室和环境生物学系共同资助该项目。