DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The Effect of Vegetative Herbivory on the Mating System and on the Demographic Value of Selfed and Outcrossed Progeny

种群生物学的一个核心问题是了解交配系统变异的原因和后果。生物学家已经认识到环境和遗传因素在植物交配系统进化中的重要性。然而，很少有研究检查拮抗剂的作用（例如，食草动物/病原体）。食草动物是限制植物繁殖的重要因素之一，并可能影响交配系统的进化。本研究对本土植物凤仙花（Impatiens capensis）中食草动物介导的交配系统变异机制的假设进行了验证。研究人员将进一步扩展这项工作，以了解由于草食而导致的交配系统的变化如何影响capensis的种群动态。为了实现这些目标，我们将结合现场实验，操纵草食水平、分子遗传分析和人口统计分析。这些实验的结果将为了解本地物种交配模式和遗传多样性变化的生态原因和长期后果提供重要的见解。这项工作对植物保护具有更广泛的意义，因为随着干扰水平的增加，植物对拮抗剂变得更脆弱，即人为因素。它还将为女研究生提供有价值的培训，从而支持国家科学基金会增加其项目多样性的目标。

A central question of population biology is to understand the causes and consequences of mating system variation. Biologists have recognized the importance of both environmental and genetic factors in the evolution of plant mating systems. However, very few studies have examined the role of antagonists (e.g., herbivores/pathogens). Herbivores are one of the most important factors limiting plant reproduction, and are likely to affect mating system evolution. The proposed work tests hypotheses on the mechanisms of herbivore-mediated mating system variation in a native plant, Impatiens capensis. The investigators will further extend this work to understand how changes in the mating system as a result of herbivory affect the population dynamics of I. capensis. A combination of field experiments that manipulate herbivore levels, molecular genetic analyses, and demographic analyses will be used to address these goals. The results of these experiments will offer important insight to the ecological causes and long-term consequences of variation in mating patterns and the genetic diversity of a native species. This work has broader implications for conservation as plants have become more vulnerable to antagonists with increasing levels of disturbance, i.e., anthropogenic factors. It will also provide valuable training for a female graduate student, thereby, supporting the goals of NSF to increase diversity in its programs.