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

6 0434171该奖项支持一项关于松毛虫-真菌共生的国际合作研究调查。这些共生包括来自三个不同类群的甲虫和真菌之间的相互作用，以及与磷(搭便车)真菌食用螨的相互作用。与南非比勒陀利亚大学的Michael Wingfield博士合作，我们提议建立蛇口菌属的分子系统发育图，以便与甲虫的系统发育进行比较。这样的比较有助于洞察相互作用的有机体的进化史和关系。未来的工作将包括其他真菌群和螨类。使用多物种方法将允许更广泛和更准确地解释共生组合是如何形成、维持和随时间演变的。这项合作汇集了两位研究这些系统的专家，来自美国的六位专门研究甲虫-真菌共生的专家，以及来自南非的专门研究蛇口藻类系统学的温菲尔德。这项研究将增加我们对一类具有重要经济和生态意义的昆虫--松毛虫的了解。松毛虫是北美森林昆虫中经济破坏性最大的，但也是决定森林结构和组成的自然干扰剂。这项研究还将有助于确定影响共生体发展、进化和维持的因素，例如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几名南非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生的专业发展和培训，其中包括一名来自传统上代表不足的群体(印第安人)的学生。

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).