EAPSI: Investigating Evolutionary Trade-offs in Coreid Insects

这项研究调查了核心昆虫的一种有趣的进化权衡。自体截肢，即肢体下垂，是避免捕食和诱捕的有效特征。然而，有时它会付出高昂的代价--不能繁殖。这项研究采用了多维方法来研究Coreidae分支(昆虫纲：半翅目)自切反应的原因和后果，研究了那些需要后腿才能繁殖成功的物种和那些腿在成功交配中没有作用的物种。这项研究将与新加坡国立大学的李代勤博士合作进行。李博士是一位领先的行为生态学家，在昆虫的反捕食者防御方面拥有专业知识。这项研究的结果将对生物学的其他领域有价值，特别是那些涉及进化权衡的领域。自体切断术，诱导肢体切除，是一种有效的特征，用于避免捕食和陷阱。为了研究核心类动物放下武器的原因，我们需要研究自体切割和生殖精选武器之间的相互作用。为了做到这一点，PI将使用系统发育背景来识别导致这种交互的祖先状态(即，自动切割术是武器的祖先还是武器的祖先？)。无论这种互动是如何演变的，失去武器的负面后果依然存在。因此，这项工作将调查性选择是否限制了自体切割以增加武器保留量。如果性选择限制了自体切割，这将表明，性选择可以限制自然选择的特征，从而让人们深入了解自然选择和性选择之间的冲突。除了这项研究，该奖项还将启动新加坡国立大学和弗罗里达大学之间的一项新的国际合作努力。该奖项隶属于东亚和太平洋夏季学院计划，支持一名美国研究生的暑期研究，由NSF和新加坡国家研究基金会联合资助。

This research investigates an interesting evolutionary trade-off in coreid insects. Autotomy, the dropping of a limb, can be an effective trait to avoid predation and entrapment. However, sometimes it comes at a high cost - not being able to reproduce. The research adopts a multidimensional approach to investigate the causes and consequences of the autotomy response in the Coreidae clade (Insecta: Hemiptera), examining species that need the hind legs for reproductive success and those where the legs play no role in successful mating. The research will be conducted in collaboration with Dr. Daiqin Li of the National University of Singapore. Dr. Li is a leading behavioral ecologist with expertise in anti-predator defenses in insects. The results of the research will be valuable to other areas of biology, especially those involving evolutionary trade-off. Autotomy, induced limb removal, is an effective trait used to avoid predation and entrapment. To investigate why coreids drop their weapons, we need to investigate the interaction between autotomy and reproductive selected weaponry. To do this, the PI will use a phylogenetic context to identify the ancestral state leading to this interaction (i.e., is autotomy ancestral to weaponry or vice versa?). Regardless of how this interaction evolved, the negative consequences of losing a weapon persist. Thus, the work will investigate if sexual selection has constrained autotomy to increase weapon retention. If sexual selection constrains autotomy it would suggest that sexual selection can constrain a naturally selected trait, lending insights into the conflict between natural and sexual selection. In addition to the research, this award will initiate a novel international collaborative effort between the National University of Singapore and the University of Florida.This award under the East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes program supports summer research by a U.S. graduate student and is jointly funded by NSF and the National Research Foundation of Singapore.