Genetic and Host Plant Influences in Insect Population Differentiation

专门以特定群体为食的昆虫 植物是解决两个重要的实验生物 进化生物学的基本问题。 这些是1）什么 影响新品种或小种出现的因素 有机体？ 2）什么因素决定了速度和方向 进化论？ 新品种的昆虫被发现时， 植物被引入或侵入昆虫被感染的地区， 已经在吃一种相关的植物了 丁格尔博士提议研究 以各种相关植物为食的昆虫 并将其部分范围转移到植物物种， 被当作一种特殊的东西来介绍。 丁格尔博士将研究 通过检查的影响分化的演变 基因和环境对进化的影响 丁格尔医生会 还研究了两个群体中宿主选择的基础， 测试这两个种群是否还会杂交。 在 这样，丁格尔博士将试图了解这两个群体 已经分化成不同的物种 适应新的寄主植物的问题是 具有重要的基础和现实意义。 最重要的作物 植物被引入，重要的是要知道如何容易 昆虫可以适应它们并成为害虫。 许多外来植物 是偶然引入的，因此可能会“逃脱”昆虫 它们通常以它们为食，变成大量的杂草。 控制 因此，了解新昆虫适应环境的速度是很有用的。 它们取代了它们留下的天敌。 的 这里研究的昆虫特别有用，因为 寄主植物的转换，嘴巴部位的巨大变化 结构，是如此容易测量和操纵。 的结果 这个开关，昆虫已经进化出结构的变化， 用于取食不同植物的口器。 的 因此，研究在减少昆虫危害方面具有巨大潜力 对引入的作物和对引入的杂草的最大损害。

Insects which specialize in feeding on only certain groups of plants are important experimental organisms for addressing two fundamental questions in evolutionary biology. These are 1) what factors influence the appearance of new varieties or races of organisms? and 2) what factors determine the rate and direction of evolution? New varieties of insects have been found when new plants are introduced to or invade areas where an insect is already feeding on a related plant. Dr. Dingle proposes to study an insect species that feeds on various species of related plants and has switched in parts of its range to plant species that have been introduced as ornamentals. Dr. Dingle will study the evolution of the differentiation by examining the influence of genes and the environment on this evolution. Dr. Dingle will also examine the basis of host choice in the two populations and test to see if the two populations will still interbreed. In this way Dr. Dingle will attempt to learn if the two populations have differentiated enough to be separate species. The problem of adaptation to new host plants is of considerable basic and practical importance. Most important crop plants are introduced and it is important to know how readily insects can adapt to them and become pests. Many alien plants are accidentally introduced and may thus "escape" the insects which normally feed on them to become abundant weeds. To control them it is useful to know how readily new insects can adapt to them and replace the natural enemies they left behind. The insect studied here is particularly useful because the effect of a switch in host plants, a dramatic change in mouth part structure, is so easy to measure and manipulate. As a result of this switch, the insect has evolved changes in the structure of mouth parts used in feeding on the different plants. The research thus holds great potential for minimizing insect damage to introduced crops and to maximize damage to introduced weeds.