US-South Africa Cooperative Research: Cospeciation, Host Switching, and Symbiont Sharing in Ectosymbioses: A Multiple Layer Phylogenetic Approach

该奖项支持一项关于树突树皮甲虫-真菌共生的国际合作研究。这些共生关系包括甲虫和真菌之间的相互作用，这些真菌来自三个不同的群体，以及与食真菌的螨虫之间的相互作用。在与南非比勒陀利亚大学的Michael Wingfield博士的合作中，我们建议建立一个蛇孔菌真菌类群的分子系统发育，以便与甲虫的系统发育进行比较。这样的比较使我们对生物的进化史和相互作用的关系有了更深入的了解。未来的工作将包括其他真菌类群和螨虫。使用多物种的方法可以更广泛、更准确地解释共生组合是如何形成、维持和进化的。此次合作将这些系统的两位专家聚集在一起，其中6位来自美国，专门研究甲虫-真菌共生，而Wingfield来自南非，专门研究蛇气孔系统。这项研究将增加我们对一种具有重要经济和生态意义的昆虫群体的认识-树齿虫是北美森林昆虫中最具经济破坏性的昆虫，但也是决定森林结构和组成的自然干扰因子。这项研究还将有助于确定影响共生发展、进化和维持的因素，甚至是生态和经济上重要的物种相互作用类型。该项目涉及一名研究人员和四名来自美国的学生以及南非的几名顶尖研究人员之间的合作。它将帮助两名硕士学生和两名博士学生的专业发展和培训，其中一名来自传统上代表性不足的群体（美洲原住民）。

Six 0434171 This award supports an international collaborative research investigation on Dendroctonus bark beetle-fungus symbioses. These symbioses include interactions among beetles and fungi from three distinct groups, as well as with phoretic (hitchhiker) fungus-feeding mites. In collaboration with Dr. Michael Wingfield at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, we propose to develop a molecular phylogeny of the Ophiostoma fungal associates for comparison with a phylogeny of the beetles. Such comparisons yield insights into evolutionary histories and relationships of interacting organisms. Future work will include the other fungal groups and the mites. Using a multi-species approach will allow a broader and more accurate interpretation of how symbiotic assemblages form, are maintained, and evolve over time. The collaboration brings together two experts on these systems, Six from the USA specializing in beetle-fungus symbioses, and Wingfield from South Africa specializing in Ophiostoma systematics.This research will increase our knowledge of an economically and ecologically important group of insects - Dendroctonus are the most economically damaging of North American forest insects but also function as natural disturbance agents that determine forest structure and composition. The research will also help identify factors influencing the development, evolution, and maintenance of symbioses, en ecologically and economically important type of species interactions. The project involves collaboration between a researcher and four students from the USA and several top researchers in South Africa. It will aid the professional development and training of two MS students and two PhD students including one from a traditionally under-represented group (Native American).