Dimensions: Coexistence, Herbivore Host Choice, and Plant-Herbivore Evolution in the Recently Radiated and Speciose Neotropical Tree Genus, Inga

维度：最近辐射和特异的新热带树属 Inga 中的共存、草食动物宿主选择和植物-草食动物进化

• 批准号: 1135733
• 负责人: Thomas Kursar
• 金额: $ 199.99万
• 依托单位: University of Utah
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-10-01 至 2017-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1135733&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Dimensions; Coexistence; Herbivore; Host; Choice

Tropical forests are extremely diverse and the origin of such high diversity is a central question in biology. This project will explore how the interactions between plants and the insects that consume plants (herbivores) may contribute to this high diversity. Plants have evolved a battery of defenses to protect their leaves from insects, and insects are continually evolving counter-adaptations. Although it is hypothesized that the rate of defense evolution is extremely fast, how this evolutionary process proceeds is still poorly understood. The research addresses how herbivores drive the evolution of plant defenses, how plant defenses influence which species of plants herbivores consume and how plant-herbivore interactions might influence plant community composition and diversity in the tropics, the most species-rich forests in the world. It will focus on the taxonomic, genetic and functional diversity of trees in the genus Inga (Leguminosae) and its insect herbivores at five sites in Central and South America. Inga is one of the most speciose (more than 300 species) and among the most locally diverse and abundant Neotropical trees. This interdisciplinary study will measure plant defenses, including chemical toxins, physical defenses and the attraction of protective ants to sugar-bearing nectaries on the leaves. DNA sequencing of herbivores and Inga will allow quantification of the diversity of species, will test whether more closely related Inga species have more similar defenses, and will determine whether herbivores choose hosts based on the similarity of their defenses. It is hypothesized that if plant species differ in their defenses, they will be attacked by different herbivore species, and thus can coexist as neighbors, leading to high local diversity typical of tropical forests. Thus this project will shed light on the origin and maintenance of biological diversity. Ongoing loss of biodiversity is a critical issue for science and society. The research will be communicated to different audiences in order to enhance their appreciation of nature and science. The team will create a theater of biodiversity for school children and families in Utah, conduct Tom Sawyer style Saturday science days for children from poor communities near the Brazil and Peru field stations, give presentations on tropical diversity for tourists, and develop the use of Inga in agroforestry in Peru. The integrative project will also create an open, accessible website to share data and other project results, and to facilitate related research by other scientists.

热带森林是极其多样化的，这种高度多样性的起源是生物学的一个中心问题。 该项目将探索植物和食用植物的昆虫（食草动物）之间的相互作用如何有助于这种高度多样性。 植物已经进化出一套防御系统来保护它们的叶子免受昆虫的侵害，而昆虫也在不断进化出反适应。 虽然有人假设防御进化的速度非常快，但人们对这一进化过程如何进行仍然知之甚少。 该研究探讨了食草动物如何推动植物防御的进化，植物防御如何影响食草动物消耗的植物种类，以及植物-食草动物的相互作用如何影响热带地区的植物群落组成和多样性，热带地区是世界上物种最丰富的森林。 它将重点关注中美洲和南美洲五个地点的Inga属（豆科）树木及其食草昆虫的分类、遗传和功能多样性。 因加是最具物种（超过300种）和最具本地多样性和丰富的新热带树木之一。 这项跨学科的研究将测量植物防御，包括化学毒素，物理防御和保护蚂蚁对叶子上含糖蜜腺的吸引力。 对食草动物和因加的DNA测序将允许量化物种的多样性，将测试更密切相关的因加物种是否具有更相似的防御，并将确定食草动物是否根据其防御的相似性选择宿主。 据推测，如果植物物种的防御能力不同，它们将受到不同草食动物物种的攻击，因此可以作为邻居共存，导致热带森林典型的高度局部多样性。 因此，该项目将阐明生物多样性的起源和维持。生物多样性的持续丧失是科学和社会的一个关键问题。 这项研究将传达给不同的受众，以提高他们对自然和科学的欣赏。 该团队将为犹他州的学童和家庭创建一个生物多样性剧院，为巴西和秘鲁野外站附近贫困社区的儿童举办汤姆索耶式的星期六科学日，为游客介绍热带多样性，并在秘鲁开发Inga在农林业中的应用。 该综合项目还将创建一个开放的、可访问的网站，以共享数据和其他项目成果，并促进其他科学家的相关研究。