DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Contribution of specific floral odorants to differential attraction and reproductive isolation in monkeyflowers (Mimulus)

显花植物的生物多样性大部分是由于它们与动物传粉者的共同进化关系。 每一种传粉者被吸引到一个特定的花，因为花的颜色，大小，形状，花蜜奖励，或气味。 人们对特定基因的作用知之甚少，这些基因导致气味的变化，然后影响传粉者的行为。 属Mimulus（monkeyflowers）包含两个物种，仅由其传粉者（蜂鸟和熊蜂）的偏好区分。 这两种Mimulus物种在花香上有明显的差异。 这个提议集中在两个问题上：1）在Mimulus中这些气味差异的基础是什么基因？以及，2）在这些遗传特征上不同的植物将如何影响自然界中蜂鸟和大黄蜂传粉者的反应？ 这里提出的工作涉及更广泛的进化原则，作为物种多样性的基础。此外，由于昆虫授粉每年为农业带来2 250亿美元的服务，因此了解植物-授粉者相互作用的遗传和进化基础对粮食安全具有重要意义。

Much of the biodiversity of flowering plants is due to their coevolutionary relationships with animal pollinators. Each species of pollinator is attracted to a particular flower because of the flower's color, size, shape, nectar reward, or scent. Little is known about the role of specific genes that cause changes in scent that then affect pollinator behavior. The genus Mimulus (monkeyflowers) contains two species that are separated only by the preferences of their pollinators (hummingbirds and bumblebees). The two Mimulus species have marked differences in their floral scents. This proposal focuses on two questions: 1) What are the genes that underlie these scent differences in Mimulus?; and, 2) How will plants that differ in these genetic traits affect the response of hummingbird and bumblebee pollinators in nature? The work proposed here addresses broader evolutionary principles that underlie species diversity. Additionally, since insect pollination is responsible for $225 billion per year in service to agriculture, understanding the genetic and evolutionary basis of plant-pollinator interactions has important implications for food security.