DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Catching Sequential Speciation in the Act

了解新物种进化的过程（物种形成）是生物科学中的一个基本问题。 一个流行的，但在很大程度上未经检验的想法是，一个物种的形成可以催化相互作用的生物群落中其他物种的形成（顺序物种形成）。先前的研究表明，大约150年前在美国东部，苹果蛆从其原生山楂宿主植物转移到引入的驯化苹果，引起了攻击苍蝇的昆虫寄生虫群落的连续宿主转移。具体来说，当苍蝇转而攻击新宿主植物的果实时，攻击苍蝇的昆虫寄生虫的种类也发生了变化。目前尚不清楚的是，自然界中的物种形成事件是如何普遍和迅速地连续发生的。一个强有力的方法是在美国西部一个更接近的案例中检验连续物种形成假说，那里的苍蝇是50年前刚刚引入的。拟议中的研究将检查苍蝇及其寄生虫在这个新栖息地的变化，以更好地评估物种形成的速度。了解生物多样性的起源是生物科学的核心问题之一。在这方面，连续物种形成可能特别有助于理解生物多样性，特别是昆虫生物多样性的惊人水平（估计全世界有1000万至3000万种，是地球上最多样化的动物群体）。此外，苹果蛆蝇和几个密切相关的物种是几种农作物的主要经济害虫。描述寄生虫群落的起源可以为生物控制计划提供信息，以帮助农民在苍蝇成为美国西部的严重害虫之前控制苍蝇。

Understanding the process by which new species evolve (speciation) is a fundamental question in biological sciences. A popular, but largely untested idea is that the formation of one species can catalyze the formation of other species within a community of interacting organisms (sequential speciation). Previous work has shown that a shift of the apple maggot fly from its native hawthorn host plant to the introduced domesticated apple about 150 years ago in the eastern US has induced a sequential host shift in the insect parasite community that attacks the flies. Specifically, as the fly shifts to attacking the fruits of a new host plant, the insect parasites that attack that fly shift in kind. What remains unknown is how general and rapid sequential speciation events are in nature. A powerful approach is to test the sequential speciation hypothesis in a more proximate case in the western US where the fly was recently introduced just 50 years ago. The proposed research will examine changes in the flies and their parasites in this new habitat to better evaluate the rate of speciation. Understanding the origins of biodiversity is one of the central issues in biological sciences. In this regard, sequential speciation may be particular relevant for understanding biodiversity in general and in particular the astonishing levels of insect biodiversity (estimated 10-30 million species worldwide, the most diverse group of animals on the planet). Additionally, the apple maggot fly and several closely related species are major economic pests of several agricultural crops. Characterization of the origins of the parasitoid community can inform bio-control schemes to help farmers control the fly before it becomes a serious pest in the western United States.