Systematics, diversity & speciation of Lepidoptera

系统性、多样性

• 批准号: 217174-2013
• 负责人: Sperling, Felix
• 金额: $ 4.37万
• 依托单位: University of Alberta
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2013-01-01 至 2014-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=523709
• 关键词: Systematics; diversity; speciation; Lepidoptera

Spruce budworm moths are major defoliators of conifer forests in North America, influencing forest structure by their regular outbreaks and causing much economic damage despite many decades of effort to manage their population numbers. Butterflies of the Old World Swallowtail species group have received much attention as well, although mainly because they are large and visually attractive to naturalists. Both groups of Lepidoptera share the fact that we still don't know how many species they contain and how to tell them apart, in spite of years of study. This may be because these species are in the process of diverging in some areas but merging in others. We would like to know why this might be happening, since this would give us insight into how speciation occurs. In other words how and why can one species can turn into two species? And can new species sometimes form from hybridization between previously distinct species?

云杉小球蛾是北美针叶林的主要食叶害虫，尽管几十年来一直在努力控制它们的种群数量，但它们的定期暴发影响着森林结构，并造成了很大的经济损失。东半球燕尾种类的蝴蝶也受到了很大的关注，尽管主要是因为它们很大，对博物学家来说在视觉上很有吸引力。尽管进行了多年的研究，但这两类鳞翅目昆虫都有一个共同的事实，即我们仍然不知道它们包含多少物种，也不知道如何区分它们。这可能是因为这些物种在一些地区正在分化，在另一些地区则在融合。我们想知道为什么会发生这种情况，因为这将使我们深入了解物种形成是如何发生的。换句话说，一个物种如何以及为什么可以变成两个物种？新物种有时会由以前不同物种之间的杂交而形成吗？