DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Ecological Structure and Evolutionary Formation of Interspecific Interaction Networks

论文研究：种间相互作用网络的生态结构和进化形成

• 批准号: 0514158
• 负责人: John Thompson
• 金额: $ 1.2万
• 依托单位: University of California-Santa Cruz
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-07-01 至 2007-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0514158&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Ecological; Structure; Evolutionary

A current challenge in coevolutionary biology and community ecology is to understand how networks of interacting species evolve in different ways in different environments. The importance of this challenge is increasing, as the species composition of many ecosystems is rapidly changing worldwide. We need to understand the extent to which the interactions between networks of species can change under different ecological conditions and how those changes may be structured genetically by the phylogenetic history of lineages. The proposed work will evaluate how networks of interacting plants and insects differ in structure across geographic landscapes as populations evolve and diverge. The work will focus on the specific problem of how a four-species network of two closely-related plant species and two closely-related moth species differ genetically and ecologically in four environments in California. Objective 1 will evaluate how the moths Greya politella and G. obscura (Prodoxidae) differ along the Coast Ranges of California in their use of the woodland stars, Lithophragma parviflorum and L. heterophyllum (Saxifragaceae). Objective 2 will evaluate whether differences among habitats in how moths use these two plant species are determined genetically or by local ecological conditions. Objective 3 will use molecular markers to assess whether similarity in network structure among some habitats results from the shared phylogenetic history of those populations.Overall, the integration of ecological and molecular approaches in the proposed work will provide a direct evaluation of how the diversification of lineages and local ecological conditions collectively contribute to geographic differences in the organization of biological communities. This research will also aid in training undergraduate students in all aspects of scientific research. Undergraduate students will gain molecular, greenhouse, and field skills while learning about experimental design, data analysis, and manuscript preparation. Results of this work will be presented at national meetings.

共同进化生物学和群落生态学目前面临的一个挑战是了解相互作用的物种网络如何在不同的环境中以不同的方式进化。这一挑战的重要性正在增加，因为世界范围内许多生态系统的物种组成正在迅速变化。我们需要了解物种网络之间的相互作用在不同的生态条件下可以改变的程度，以及这些变化是如何通过谱系的系统发育历史来构建的。拟议的工作将评估随着种群进化和分化，相互作用的植物和昆虫网络在地理景观中的结构差异。这项工作将集中在一个具体的问题上，即在加州的四种环境中，由两种密切相关的植物物种和两种密切相关的飞蛾物种组成的四种网络在遗传和生态上是如何不同的。目的1将评估沿加利福尼亚海岸山脉的灰蛾（Greya politella）和黑蛾（G. obscura）在利用林地星、石竹蛾（Lithophragma parviflorum）和异叶蛾（L. heterophyllum）方面的差异。目标2将评估飞蛾如何利用这两种植物的栖息地差异是由遗传还是由当地生态条件决定的。目标3将使用分子标记来评估某些生境中网络结构的相似性是否源于这些种群共享的系统发育历史。总的来说，在拟议的工作中，生态和分子方法的整合将提供一个直接评估谱系多样化和当地生态条件如何共同促进生物群落组织的地理差异。这项研究也将有助于培养本科生在科学研究的各个方面。本科生将在学习实验设计、数据分析和手稿准备的同时获得分子、温室和现场技能。这项工作的结果将在国家会议上提出。