DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Comparative studies in reproductive interference: linking floral adaptations and species divergence

性格置换是一个进化过程，当两个或更多物种一起出现时，会显示出更大的分歧。由于群落的组成在地理上不同，单个物种可能会与其地理范围内的各种不同物种共存；因此，物种间相互作用的差异可能会导致选择促进种群之间的种内差异。这项拟议的研究考察了开花植物马先蒿的这一过程，这种植物表现出很大的种内花卉差异。基因组标记将被用来追踪种群的遗传史，以测试种群之间的花卉变异如何与群落相似性相关，以及它是否影响种群之间的基因流动。通过考察群落中生殖隔离的演化，这项研究将提高我们对物种相互作用如何影响进化速度和物种形成的理解。这项研究将在中国横断山区进行，这是一个生物多样性热点，研究得很少，对产生或维持多样性的过程知之甚少。通过与中国科学家合作，这项工作将促进未来的国际合作。此外，它还将通过培训年轻科学家的实地和实验室技能来提供教育推广服务。结果将通过菲尔德自然历史博物馆提供的外联门户网站向公众(包括K-12学生)传播。

Character displacement is an evolutionary process whereby two or more species exhibit increased divergence when occurring together. Because the composition of communities varies geographically, a single species may co-occur with a variety of different species across its geographic range; as a consequence, variation in interactions between species can cause selection promoting within-species divergence among populations. The proposed research examines this process in the flowering plant Pedicularis cranolopha, which exhibits substantial within-species floral variation. Genomic markers will be used to trace population genetic histories to test how floral variation among populations relates to community similarity and whether it affects gene flow among populations. By examining the evolution of reproductive isolation in a community context, this research will improve our understanding of how species interactions affect rates of evolution and speciation.This study will be conducted in the Hengduan Mountains in China, a biodiversity hotspot that is poorly studied with little known about processes generating or maintaining diversity. By working with Chinese scientists this work will promote future international collaborations. In addition, it will provide educational outreach through training of young scientists both in field and laboratory skills. Results will be disseminated to the general public (including K-12 students) through outreach portals available at the Field Museum of Natural History.