The genetic basis for evolution of moth sexual communication systems

达尔文指出，在他的自然选择进化论中，一个潜在的薄弱领域是复杂特征的存在，这些特征的组成部分本身似乎是非适应性的。在数量水平上更好地理解这些性状的进化仍然是一个重要的挑战。这项拟议的研究将研究蛾子有性交流特征的遗传基础，在这种特征中，雌性产生一种性信息素，其中含有大量挥发性化合物的精确混合，而雄性只对同一物种的雌性混合产生行为反应。产生新混合物的突变雌性和具有对尚不存在的混合做出反应的基因的罕见雄性似乎是被选中的，因此很难理解达尔文式的选择如何导致我们今天看到的成千上万种多样化的信息素和蛾子物种。利用不同信息素混合物的两种蛾之间的杂交将被用来识别导致它们之间在信息素产生和感知方面存在差异的特定基因。作为下一步，将确定控制核苷酸的变化并测量它们的适合性结果。我们将利用我们在飞蛾信息素多样化方面的工作作为一种手段，教育公众关于进化过程的知识，这些过程可能导致复杂的特征，这些特征似乎具有被选择的中间形式。除了对生物学领域的固有价值外，有性通讯基因的知识还可能导致开发控制蛾类害虫的新方法。

Darwin pointed out that one potentially weak area in his theory of evolution by natural selection was the existence of complex traits, the components of which appear to be non-adaptive on their own. Gaining a better understanding the evolution of such traits at a quantitative level is still an important challenge. The proposed research will examine the genetic basis of moth sexual communication traits where a female produces a sex pheromone with a precise blend of a number of volatile compounds, and males are behaviorally responsive only to the blend of females of the same species. Mutant females that produce a novel blend and rare males with genes for responding to as yet non-existing blends appear to be selected against, so it is hard to understand how Darwinian selection could result in the thousands of diversified pheromones and moth species that we see today. Crosses between two moth species that utilize different pheromone blends will be used to identify the specific genes responsible for the differences between them in pheromone production and perception. As a next step, the controlling nucleotide changes will be determined and their fitness consequences measured. We will use our work on moth pheromone diversification as a means to educate the public about evolutionary processes that can result in complex traits that seem to have intermediate forms that are selected against. In addition to its inherent value to the field of biology, the knowledge of sexual communication genes could lead to development of new ways to control moth pests.