DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Assessing the General Importance of Frequency-Dependent Selection in Plant Breeding Systems.

人们很早就认识到，交配类型的成功取决于其在群体中的出现频率。尽管存在一些频率依赖性选择的经验例子，但其在植物交配进化动力学中的一般重要性尚未得到记录。拟议的研究将使用卡罗林茄（Solanum carolinense）（一种在个体体内同时携带雄性和雌雄同体花的物种）作为模型系统来回答：i）通过雌性和雄性适应性成分对雄花相对产量产生影响的选择模式是什么？ ii) 正如理论所预测的那样，选择作用于该性状的频率是否依赖于频率？ iii) 如果是这样，这种依赖频率的选择是否可以解释自然种群中雄花的中等比例的维持？这些问题将通过结合田间和温室实验以及单个植物的基因指纹来解决。 该提案的智力价值是测试性理论中的基本预测，即雄性偏向分配的选择是频率依赖的，从而为更全面地理解植物交配系统提供了所需的信息。该项目的更广泛影响将通过鼓励不同群体，特别是对科学感兴趣的本科生和拉丁裔学生的参与来增强学术界。

It has been long recognized that the success of a mating type depends on its frequency in the population. Although a few empirical examples of frequency-dependent selection exist, its general importance in the evolutionary dynamics of plant mating has yet to be documented. The proposed study will use Solanum carolinense, a species that carries both male and hermaphroditic flowers within individuals, as a model system to answer: i) What is the pattern of selection acting through both female and male components of fitness on the relative production of male flowers? ii) Is selection acting on this trait frequency-dependent, as predicted by theory? iii) If so, does this frequencydependent selection explain the maintenance of intermediate proportions of male flowers in natural populations? These questions will be addressed through a combination of field and greenhouse experiments, and genetic fingerprinting of individual plants. The intellectual merit of this proposal is to test a fundamental prediction in sexual theory, i.e. that selection on male-biased allocation is frequency-dependent, thus contributing information needed for a more thorough understanding of plant mating systems. The broader impact of this project will enhance the academic community by encouraging the participation of diverse groups, particularly undergraduate and Latino students with an interest in science.