色彩介导了许多重要的动植物相互作用。越来越多的证据表明，植物也可以和动物一样利用伪装躲避敌害，但我们对植物伪装进化的具体格局和过程仍不清楚。种内表型的自然变异和选择压力的地理变异，为探究该类问题提供了契机。高山植物梭砂贝母具有显著的伪装特征，同时，它作为传统药材“川贝”的重要来源，长期遭到严重采挖。本项目以梭砂贝母为研究对象，探讨其伪装色彩的变异格局、选择机制及相关的进化生态学问题。我们将利用现代色彩分析方法测量群体内和群体间色彩表型变异；通过同质园实验检验表型可塑性；通过群体遗传和表型变异的联合分析估计选择和中性过程的相对贡献；采用野外监测和游戏模拟等方式考察选择发生的具体过程；通过植物化学分析研究伪装与化学防御的关系；通过繁殖生态学实验检验伪装对繁殖的影响。最终探讨自然选择和人类采集活动对梭砂贝母伪装色彩进化的相对作用，深入理解植物防御色彩进化理论，为生物资源可持续利用提供见解。

Colour mediated many important intraspecific interactions. Increasingly evidence have been shown that plants, like animals, use camouflage as a defensive strategy against enemies (herbivores). Yet the patterns and mechanisms of camouflage evolution in plants are not clear. Intraspecific variation of phenotype and geographic variation of selection strength provide an opportunity to address these issues. The alpine plant Fritillaria delavayi has a typical cryptic coloration. This plant is one of the source plants for an important Chinese traditional medicine “Chuanbei”, suffering heavy collection. Using this plant, we will study on the variation pattern of camouflage coloration, selection mechanisms and other relevant evolutionary issues. We will use modern methods of colour analysis to estimate the intra-and inter-population colour variation, common garden experiment to explore the potential phenotype plasticity, a joint analysis of phenotype difference and genetic difference to estimate the relative importance of selection and neutral process, field monitoring and online game imitation to reveal the selection process, phytochemistry analysis to explore the relationship between camouflage and chemical defence level, and reproductive ecology experiment for estimating the potential effects of camouflage on reproduction. Collectively, this project aims to study the effects of nature and human selection on colour evolution of F. delavayi. It may not only lead to an in-depth understanding of the evolution of plant defensive coloration, but also provide new insights into the sustainable development.