DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Evolution of Host Specialization in Hawaiian Moths

加州大学伯克利分校（University of California at Berkeley）的罗斯玛丽·吉莱斯皮（Rosemary Gillespie）博士和曼迪·海德尔（Mandy Heddle）女士获得了一笔赠款，用于研究一群只在夏威夷群岛发现的飞蛾的进化和生态。这些飞蛾中的一些只以一种植物为食（专门型），而另一些则以许多不同种类的植物为食（通才型），Gillespie和Heddle将对这种现象进行研究。他们假设飞蛾对寄主植物的选择有一个进化的因素，这样特殊的物种就无法扩大它们的寄主植物范围。无法多样化的替代食物来源可能使这些物种更容易灭绝。通过研究这些飞蛾之间的进化关系，他们旨在验证这一假设，并发现可能面临灭绝危险的特殊物种。为此，将利用分子（DNA序列）和形态数据确定飞蛾之间的关系。此外，实地收集毛虫将使他们能够检查每个物种的寄主-植物关系。夏威夷群岛的濒危动植物比其他任何州都多。这项研究中的飞蛾是夏威夷森林生态系统不可分割的一部分；它们是鸟类和其他昆虫的重要猎物，不同的物种可以以本地和非本地植物为食。然而，鉴定指南是不存在的，通常不可能将生态信息与给定物种联系起来。这给保护造成了严重的问题，阻碍了任何有效管理或稀有物种恢复计划的发展。作为这项研究的一部分，将制作一份关于飞蛾的交互式指南光盘，其中包括成虫和幼虫的图像，以便于识别。本指南将提供给土地管理者、联邦机构和研究机构。

A grant has been awarded to Dr. Rosemary Gillespie and Ms. Mandy Heddle at the University of California at Berkeley to study the evolution and ecology of a group of moths found only in the Hawaiian Islands. Some of these moths are able to feed on only one species of plant (specialists), while others have a broad diet feeding on many different species of plants (generalists), a phenomenon that Gillespie and Heddle will investigate. They hypothesize there is an evolutionary component to the host plant choices a moth makes, such that specialized species are unable to expand their host plant range. The inability to diversify to alternative food sources may make these species more susceptible to extinction. By examining the evolutionary relationships among these moths, they aim to test this hypothesis and detect specialist species that may be at risk from extinction. To do this, relationships among the moths will be determined using molecular (DNA sequences) and morphological data. In addition, field collections of caterpillars will allow them to examine the host-plant associations of each species. The Hawaiian Islands have more endangered animals and plants than any other state. The moths in this study are an integral part of Hawaii's forest ecosystems; they are important prey items for birds and other insects and different species can feed on both native and non-native plants. However, identification guides are non-existent, and it is generally impossible to associate ecological information with a given species. This poses serious problems for conservation, preventing the development of any effective management or recovery plans for rare species. As part of this study an interactive guide to moths will be produced on CD that will include images of adults and larvae, facilitating easy identification. This guide will be made available to land managers, federal agencies, and research institutions.