VPW: Effect of Intraspecific Variation in Plant Quality on the Population Structure of Herbivores (Population Biology)

种群对环境变化的适应可以在极细微的尺度上发生。生长在重金属土壤上的植物可以与生长在正常土壤上的邻近植物进行遗传分化。这种遗传隔离是土壤中金属的强烈选择压力，以及跨越矿山边界的植物种群之间减少基因流动的选择的结果。在这一提议中，有人问道，导致植物种群分化的相同过程是否也会导致以这些植物为食的食草动物种群的分化。草食动物的移动性、饲养专业化和接触金属对当地适应性存在与否的重要性将被审查。将选择发生在矿山尾矿内外植物上的8种不同昆虫（4种专业取食昆虫和4种通用取食昆虫-具有不同的传播能力）。雌性昆虫的后代，从采矿和正常地点，将为每个物种收集。这些雌性的卵将被分成两批：一批将被放置在重金属土壤上的植物上，另一批将被放置在附近正常土壤上的植物上。这种相互转移实验可以确定在金属土壤中收集的昆虫的后代是否比在金属污染植物上从正常土壤中收集的昆虫的后代表现得更好。如果是这样，那么就发生了局部适应。如果能够利用含金属植物的食草动物与附近植物种群的食草动物存在遗传分化，那么食草动物种群一般可能作为局部适应个体的斑块存在，这些个体对植物质量的小规模变化做出反应。该项目进一步推进了VPW项目的目标，即通过研究为女性提供在科学或工程领域发展的机会，并通过研究人员在主办校园中作为榜样的知名度提高，鼓励其他女性在这些领域追求职业。在这个项目中，有助于实现第二个目标的拟议活动包括：教授两门课程，进化生态学和一个关于妇女在科学中的历史和作用的研讨会；在系里的昆虫学和植物科学系列研讨会上发表个人研究报告；与昆虫学系的植物化学家和进化生态学家合作。

The adaptation of populations to environmental change can occur at extremely fine scales. Plants growing on heavy-metal soils can be genetically differentiated from neighboring plants growing only meters away on normal soils. Such genetic isolation is the result of strong selective pressures by metals in the soil coupled with selection for reduced gene flow between plant populations that span mine boundaries. In this proposal, it is asked whether the same processes that have given rise to population differentiation in plants can also cause differentiation in herbivore populations that use these plants. The importance of herbivore mobility, feeding specialization and exposure to metals to the presence or absence of local adaptation will be examined. Eight different insect species (4 specialist feeders and 4 generalists feeders - with difference dispersal abilities) that occur on plants both on and off mine tailings will be selected. Egg progeny of female insects, from both mined and normal sites, will be collected for each species. Eggs from these females will be split into two batches: one batch will be placed on plants growing on heavy-metal soil while the other will be placed on nearby plants growing on normal soils. Such reciprocal transfer experiments will allow determination if progeny from insects collected on metal soils fare better than progeny of insects collected from normal soils on metal-contaminated plants. If this is the case, then local adaptation has occurred. If herbivores capable of using metal-containing plants are genetically-differentiated from those on nearby plant populations, then it is possible that herbivore populations in general may exist as patches of locally-adapted individuals that are responding to small scale changes in plant quality. This project furthers VPW program objectives to provide opportunities for women to advance their careers in science or engineering through research, and to encourage other women to pursue careers in these areas through the investigators' enhanced visibility as role models on the host campuses. In this project, the proposed activities which contribute to the second objective include: teaching two courses, Evolutionary Ecology, and a seminar in the History and Role of Women in Science; giving lectures on personal research in the departmental Entomology and Plant Science seminar series; collaborating with a phytochemist and evolutionary ecologist in the Entomology department.