RUI: A Genetic Analysis of the Production and Perception ofPheromonal Signals

许多昆虫的交配活动是由化学、视觉或听觉求偶信号调节的。昆虫求偶信号的变化与信号感知的变化密切相关，因此，随着特定物种产生的信号进化，对信号的感知也随之进化。不同种群成员之间求偶信号的差异是最终可能导致新物种形成的进化过程之一。这项拟议中的研究将对化学求偶信号--性信息素的产生变化和感知之间的耦合进行遗传分析。这将通过对果蝇的两个不同品系的比较来实现。这项研究将揭示产生和感知求偶信号之间关系的遗传复杂性，以及在新物种形成期间发生的遗传事件的复杂性。这项研究的结果也将适用于昆虫管理策略。现代昆虫管理技术通常涉及使用昆虫自己的信息素来扰乱交配活动或引诱昆虫上钩。这些技术在短期内是有效的，但从长远来看，昆虫可能会通过改变特定信息素的产生和感知来进化抗性。了解信息素求偶信号产生和感知变化的遗传基础将有助于确定对信息素技术的抵抗力是否可能进化，以及这种进化可能进行的速度有多快。

Mating activity in many insects is mediated by chemical, visual or auditory courtship signals. Changes in insect courtship signals are closely associated with changes in the perception of the signals, so that as the signal produced by a particular species evolves, so does the perception of the signal. Divergence in courtship signals between members of different populations is one of the evolutionary processes that may eventually lead to the formation of new species. The proposed research will provide a genetic analysis of the coupling between changes in production and perception of chemical courtship signals, sex pheromone. This will be accomplished by a comparison of two divergent strains of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. This study will reveal new information about the genetic complexity of the relationship between production and perception of courtship signals, and about the complexity of genetic events that occur during the formation of new species. The results of this study will also be applicable to insect management strategies. Modern insect management techniques often involve the use of an insect's own pheromone to disrupt mating activities or to lure the insect to traps. These techniques are effective on a short term basis, but over the long term insects may evolve resistance through changes in the production and perception of specific pheromone. Knowledge about the genetic basis for changes in the production and perception of pheromonal courtship signals will help in determining whether resistance to pheromonal techniques is likely to evolve, and how rapidly such evolution might proceed.