Dissertation Research: Introduced Plants and Native Insects: A Model System for the Study of Phytophagous Insect Evolution

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The goal of this project is to determine if introduced plants have facilitatedhybridization between two native herbivorous insect species. Putative hybrids of twobutterfly species, the Great Copper and Edith's Copper, occur in two regions ofCalifornia, where introduced plant species (Curly Dock and Sheep Sorrel) are present.The hybrid butterflies feed on these introduced plant species, whereas many populationsof the parental species retain their associations with native host plants. This project willtest the hypothesis that the introduced plant species are facilitating gene flow betweentwo historically separate, genetically distinct insect species. Molecular marker analyses(DNA sequence and fingerprinting analyses), will allow detection of recent demographicevents, such as population expansion and gene flow.Many, if not all, terrestrial ecosystems have been altered by human-caused bioticintroductions. These introductions have resulted in numerous novel interactions, many ofwhich have yet unknown outcomes. Native herbivorous insects using introduced plantsoffer an excellent system to explore the evolutionary and genetic responses of organismsto novel interactions. To date, there are no documented cases of hybridization betweennative insect species due to introduced plants. Such 'homogenization' of lineages couldhave profound effects on the genetic diversity of native organisms. This project willallow researchers to anticipate the future of evolution in light of novel interactions.