NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2012

是什么驱使植物和毛虫在恶劣的蛇纹状土壤中实现生态专门化？蛇纹岩土壤独特的物理和化学性质(如低养分含量和高水平的重金属)往往导致独特的植物群落演变为稀有和特有的植物物种。反过来，植物的不同物理和化学性质应该影响草食动物的表现和专门化，然而，人们对蛇纹土壤上植物专化对草食动物多样性的影响知之甚少。这项研究将记录哥斯达黎加圣埃琳娜半岛独特的动植物和昆虫区系，并利用观察和实验方法量化在蛇纹石土壤上植物和鳞翅目(飞蛾和蝴蝶)栖息地专门化的程度。圣埃琳娜半岛由古老的蛇纹石土壤组成，周围环绕着较年轻的火山和沉积沉积，为环境专业化提供了可能的条件，但该地区勘探不足，植物分化对鳞翅目昆虫的影响尚不清楚。这项研究的结果将填补热带蛇形动物生态学知识的一个重大空白。这项研究将为今后开展工作提供一个基准数据集，并在这一领域建立新的国家和国际合作。这项研究将提供植物与昆虫系统学、土壤与植物生物化学的博士后培训以及本科教学方面的培训。昆虫标本将在加州大学戴维斯分校的K-12推广计划中展示，研究和结果将被用来为本科生的生态学入门课程建立互动工具。

What drives ecological specialization in plants and caterpillars in harsh serpentine soils? The unique physical and chemical properties of serpentine soils (e.g. low nutrient content and high levels of heavy metals) often result in the evolution of unique plant communities with rare and endemic plant species. In turn, the distinct physical and chemical properties of plants should affect herbivore performance and specialization, however, little is known about the consequences of plant specialization on serpentine soils for herbivore diversity. This study will document the unique flora and insect fauna of Santa Elena Peninsula, Costa Rica, and quantify the extent to which habitat specialization in plants and Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) occurs on serpentine soils using observational and experimental approaches. The Santa Elena Peninsula consists of ancient serpentine soils surrounded by younger, volcanic and sedimentary deposits and provides likely conditions for environmental specialization yet the region is underexplored and the effects of plant differentiation on Lepidoptera are unknown. The results of this study will fill a significant gap in knowledge on tropical serpentine ecology. This study will provide a baseline dataset for developing future work as well as create new national and international collaborations in this area. This study will provide post-doctoral training in plant and insect systematics, soil and plant biochemistry as well as training in undergraduate teaching. The insect specimens will be showcased in K-12 outreach programs at UC-Davis and the study and results will be used to build interactive tools for introductory, undergraduate ecology courses.