Attracting Mutualists and Antagonists: Fragrance Emission in Cucurbita Pepo Subsp. Texana

对于进化生态学家来说，理解互助者和拮抗者选择对花卉特征进化的同时影响仍然是一个挑战。花香宣传生殖结构以促进授粉。然而，有害的昆虫与传粉者在相同的气味景观中航行。如果同样的香味成分既吸引互惠互利的人，又吸引对立的人，那么香水的进化可能会受到相反选择压力的限制。虽然众所周知，动物在有被捕食的风险时会减少性表现特征，但鲜有人考虑花的特征与有害昆虫有关。PI将评估德克萨斯西葫芦(Cucurbita Pepo subsp.)花香变异的适合度效应。在食草动物的存在和不存在的情况下。此外，PI将在传粉者和草食动物中建立香气偏好，并进行操纵性研究，以确定甲虫危害对香气生产的影响。最终，PI将衡量与吸引传粉者但也吸引有害昆虫的性状相关的成本，这些成本可能导致与适应性有关的回报递减。林木影响：积极授粉对于南瓜的水果生产是必要的。虽然研究的重点是害虫控制，但对授粉的重要性关注较少。以南瓜为食的传粉者和甲虫都被南瓜花的芳香所吸引和引诱。然而，作物品种的培育很少考虑到香味的散发。然而，最近的努力旨在通过鉴定更多芳香的南瓜品种来加强自然授粉。研究人员将研究增强香味对健康的好处和潜在的缺点，为提高作物产量提供数据。鼓励本科生、少数民族和女性学生加入研究工作，独立完成项目。学生将接受现场方法和分析化学方面的培训，使他们获得广泛的工具和对实验设计和分析的洞察力。此外，有关当地昆虫种群生物学和丰度的信息将与当地农民交流，并有助于对南瓜蜜蜂丰度模式的跨国研究。

Understanding the simultaneous effects of selection by mutualists and antagonists on the evolution of floral characters remains a challenge to evolutionary ecologists. Floral fragrance advertises reproductive structures to promote pollination. Detrimental insects, however, are navigating within the same scent landscape as pollinators. If the same scent components attract both mutualists and antagonists, evolution of fragrance may be constrained by opposing selection pressures. Whereas animals are known to reduce sexual display traits when there is risk of predation, floral traits have rarely been considered with regard to detrimental insects. The PI will evaluate the fitness effects of variation in floral fragrance of Texas gourd (Cucurbita pepo subsp. Texana) in the presence and absence of herbivores. Moreover, the PI will establish fragrance preference in pollinators and herbivores and conduct a manipulative study to determine the effect of beetle damage on fragrance production. Ultimately the PI will measure the costs associated with a trait that attracts pollinators but also attracts detrimental insects, costs that could result in diminishing returns with regard to fitness.Broader impacts: Active pollination is necessary for fruit production in squash. While research has focused on pest control, less attention has been paid to the importance of pollination. Both pollinators and the beetles that feed on squash are attracted and guided to the squash flower by its fragrance. Nevertheless, crop varieties have been bred with little regard to fragrance emission. Recent efforts, however, aim to enhance natural pollination by identifying more fragrant varieties of squash. The researchers will study the fitness benefits and potential disadvantages of enhanced fragrance, providing data for increasing crop yield. Undergraduate minority and women students will be encouraged to join the research effort and work independently on projects. Students will be trained in field methods and analytical chemistry, giving them a broad set of tools and insight into experimental design and analysis. In addition, information on the biology and abundances of local insect populations will be exchanged with local farmers as well as contribute to a multinational study of squash bee abundance patterns.