CAREER: Training the Next Generation of Evolutionary Ecologists: Experimental and Population Genomic Tests of Coevolution and Diversification in Yuccas and Yucca Moths

自达尔文时代以来，为什么有这么多开花植物是一个进化难题，一直困扰着生物学家。虽然这个群体在进化上相当年轻，但有超过25万种开花植物。一个长期存在的假设认为，植物和它们的传粉者之间的相互适应(一个称为共同进化的过程)是开花植物物种数量惊人的原因，但支持这一观点的证据是间接的。这个项目通过测量丝兰和丝兰蛾之间的共同进化来检验这一假说。丝兰/丝兰蛾相互作用被广泛认为是研究共同进化的模式系统，但还没有研究确凿地证明它们之间的共同进化。该项目将使用丝兰和丝兰蛾的实验操作来确定这些植物和它们的传粉者是否相互适应。基因组技术将识别与植物和传粉者特征相关的遗传因素，并确定它们是否共同进化。最后，基因工具将被用来确定共同进化是否参与了丝兰和丝兰蛾新物种的进化。这个项目提供了对共同进化促进新物种进化这一假说的首批直接测试之一，并将显著促进我们对生命多样性起源的理解。这项研究还包括三项新的教育举措：让公众参与共同进化的实地研究的公民科学项目，面向本科生的暑期研究沉浸式课程，以及培训博士后科学家进行教学与研究相结合的最佳实践的项目。

Why there are so many flowering plants is an evolutionary conundrum that has puzzled biologists since Darwin's time. Although the group is evolutionarily quite young, there are over 250,000 species of flowering plants. A long-standing hypothesis suggests that reciprocal adaptation between plants and their pollinators (a process known as coevolution) is responsible for the spectacular number of species of flowering plants, but evidence supporting this idea is circumstantial. This project tests this hypothesis by measuring coevolution between yuccas and yucca moths. The yucca / yucca moth interaction is widely referred to as a model system for studying coevolution, but no study has ever conclusively demonstrated coevolution between them. This project will use experimental manipulations of yuccas and yucca moths to determine whether the plants and their pollinators are adapting to one another. Genomic technologies will identify genetic factors associated with plant and pollinator features and determine whether they are coevolving. Finally, genetic tools will be used to determine whether coevolution was involved in the evolution of new species of yuccas and yucca moths. This project provides one of the first direct tests of the hypothesis that coevolution promotes the evolution of new species, and will significantly advance our understanding of how the diversity of life originated. Integral to the research are three novel educational initiatives: a citizen science program involving the general public in field studies of coevolution, a summer research immersion course for undergraduates, and a program to train a postdoctoral scientist in best practices for integrating teaching and research.