CAREER: Evaluating the contribution of Sensory Drive to the divergence of flower color

植物进化出了颜色明显不同的花朵，这通常是由于不同传粉者的偏好。然而，在某些植物物种中，尽管传粉者物种是相同的，但它们的花朵颜色却不同。如果植物种群生活在不同的栖息地，影响了花在传粉者眼中的样子，那么花的颜色差异可能在没有传粉者改变的情况下进化。特别是，背景的颜色会影响传粉者看到颜色的方式。另外，水供应等环境因素的差异也会影响花朵的颜色。该项目评估了在没有传粉者物种发生重大变化的情况下，不同种群之间的花朵颜色是如何进化成不同的。它关注的是一种分布广泛的植物在不同栖息地的种群，它们的背景颜色截然不同。这项研究将帮助我们更好地理解花是如何进化以吸引传粉者的。它还可以帮助预测随着气候变化对开花时间和地点的影响，花卉信号如何变化。此外，该项目还为本科生提供研究和科学推广方面的培训。在动物行为研究中，感觉驱动描述了当信号环境发生变化时，通信信号发生变化的情况。该项目将评估感官驱动对花色进化的贡献，同时测试长期存在的花多样性理论驱动因素。该项目将采用蜜蜂授粉的一年生植物phaacelia dubia，该植物向岩石或草地上的传粉者传递花的信号，该项目将采用1)对12个自然种群的观察和实验来评估感官驱动和传粉者转移对花色变化的贡献；2)进行4代实验进化研究，以评估背景栖息地颜色是否会促进花色的快速进化。3)在自然种群中进行生长室实验和长期数据收集，以评估环境变量对花色形成的作用。通过一个综合的教育项目，该项目还将吸引本科生、4-H青年自然学家和本土植物协会成员，讨论背景依赖进化是否有助于大范围物种的颜色多样化，以及在实验种群中传粉者的行为与自然选择结果之间的联系。该项目由环境生物学部（DEB）和促进竞争研究的既定计划（EPSCoR）共同资助。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Plants have evolved flowers of notably different colors, often due to preferences of different pollinators. However, within some plant species there are populations that have different colored flowers although the pollinator species are the same. Floral color differences could evolve without pollinator shifts if plant populations live in different habitats that affect the way that flowers appear to pollinators. In particular, the color of the background can affect the way that pollinators see colors. Alternatively, differences in environmental factors like water availability could also affect flower color. This project assesses how flower color may evolve to be different between populations without major shifts in pollinator species. It focuses on populations of a widespread plant in different habitats that differ starkly in background color. The research will help us better understand how flowers evolve to attract pollinators. It can also help predict how floral signals may change as climate change affects the timing and location of flowering. In addition, the project provides training in research and scientific outreach for undergraduate students.In animal behavior studies, Sensory Drive describes the situation whereby communication signals change when the signaling environment changes. This project will assess the contribution of Sensory Drive to flower color evolution while also testing longer-standing theoretical drivers of floral diversity. Using a bee-pollinated annual, Phacelia dubia, that transmits floral signals to pollinators in either rocky outcrops or grassy meadows, the project will employ 1) observations and experiments in 12 natural populations to evaluate the contributions of Sensory Drive and pollinator-shifts to changes in flower color, 2) a 4-generation experimental evolution study to evaluate whether the background habitat color spurs rapid flower color evolution, and 3) growth chamber experiments and long term data collection in natural populations to assess the role of environmental variables in shaping flower color. With an integrative educational program the project will also engage undergraduates, 4-H Junior Naturalists, and Native Plant Society members to address whether background-dependent evolution contributes to color diversification across a broad range of species, and to link pollinator behavior with the results of natural selection in experimental populations.This project is jointly funded by the Division of Environmental Biology (DEB) and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.