喜马拉雅高山地区拥有全球最丰富的特化植物种类，研究它们对高山生境的适应机制是理解高山植物多样性形成的基础，然而，我们对这些植物的适应机制并不清楚。本项目选择高山"温室植物"的代表塔黄作为研究对象，以繁殖为切入点，从生态学理论入手，结合多学科手段，探讨其特化结构苞片的适应意义和传粉机制，揭示该类高山植物的进化适应机制。重点解决的问题是：1）塔黄为什么投入大量的资源发育苞片，其适应意义是什么？2）塔黄的成功传粉是否依赖传粉者？如果是，前期研究我们发现一种寄生种子的昆虫是其花期主要的访问者，该种昆虫是塔黄的有效传粉者吗？如果是，它们二者是否存在紧密的互利共生关系？本项目的研究结果有助于拓宽我们对高山植物进化适应机制的理解，同时也能为保护和利用这一稀有的藏药植物资源提供基础数据。

The alpine areas of the Himalayas harbor the richest specialized plant species in the world; studing the adaptive mechanisms of these plants to alpine habitats are the basis for understanding how plant diversity form in alpine areas, however, the adaptive mechanisms of them remain largely unknown. We select Rheum nobile, which has been considered as the representative of 'glasshouse' plant, as the research material to explore the adaptive significances of unique bracts and pollination mechanisms, and uncover the evolutionary adaptive mechanisms of those plants to alpine habitats taking the reproduction as the key point and using ecological theories and multidisciplinary methods. The following specific questions are addressed: 1) Why does R. nobile invest a lot of resources into bract and what are the adaptive significances? 2) Does successful pollination of R. nobile depend on pollinators? If so, are the main visiting insects during anthesis, which parasitize the ovary and feed on the seeds, found in our previous studies the effective pollinators? If so, whether mutualism exists between the plant and insect? Our results will help to understand the evolutionary adaptive mechanisms of alpine plants, also provide basic data for protection and utilization the rare and Tibetan medicinal plant resource.