DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The role of reproductive trait shifts in the diversification of Oenothera (Onagraceae)

许多开花植物的进化和多样化与花与为它们授粉的昆虫和其他动物的相互作用有关(授粉系统)，以及单个植物与其物种的其他物种进行自花授粉或异花授粉的能力(繁殖系统)。这些特征在开花植物物种中差异很大，但有些物种在传粉者和他们使用的受精类型方面非常专业。长期以来一直存在争议的一个假设是，拥有专为特定传粉者设计的花朵是否会导致更多植物物种的进化多样化。该项目旨在研究月见草科植物中数十种植物的传粉者和繁殖系统，以验证这一假说。研究人员将使用几个基因的DNA序列来重建这些迎春花的进化树，研究小组将检查授粉过程的细节，如传粉者的类型以及它们采集的花蜜和花粉。然后，他们将确定传粉者和繁育系统的转变是否与更多物种的进化有关。这项研究的更广泛影响包括对本科生进行实地和实验室研究的培训，以及与植物生态学家的合作发展。这笔拨款支持一名女研究生的研究，她将与当地高中开展外展工作，并为保护团体讲课。迎春花是依赖动物传粉者繁殖的众多植物中的一种，这些相互作用的细节对于理解植物繁殖过程很重要。

The evolution and diversification of many flowering plants is linked to the interactions of flowers with the insects and other animals that pollinate them (pollination system), as well as to the ability of a single plant to self-fertilize or cross-pollinate with others of its species (breeding system). These traits vary widely among flowering plant species, but some species are very specialized in the pollinators and the type of fertilization they use. One hypothesis that has been long debated is whether having flowers that are specialized for particular pollinators leads to the evolutionary diversification of more plant species. This project aims to study pollinator and breeding systems in a group of several dozen species in the evening primrose plant family to test this hypothesis. The researchers will use DNA sequences of several genes to reconstruct the evolutionary tree of these evening primroses, and the team will examine details of the pollination process, such as types of pollinators and the nectar and pollen gathered by them. They will then determine whether shifts in pollinator and breeding systems are associated with the evolution of greater numbers of species.The broader impacts of the study include the training of undergraduates in field and laboratory research and the development of collaborations with plant ecologists. The grant supports the research of a female graduate student, who will do outreach work with local high schools and give lectures to conservation groups. Evening primroses are one of many groups of plants that depend upon animal pollinators for their reproduction, and the details of these interactions in the group are important to understand the process of plant reproduction.