Behavioral Plasticity and Phylogenetic Constraint in the Social Evolution of Bumble Bees (Biology)

社会组织中的行为可塑性与膜翅目昆虫（蚂蚁、蜜蜂和黄蜂）之间显著不同的社会性水平的进化有关。本研究将通过对大黄蜂亚属Fervidobombus的行为和系统发育的比较来研究这一观点。在广泛分布的地理种群中，Fervidobombus物种在社会组织中具有种间和种内表型多样性，是检验行为可塑性在社会组织中作用的假设的理想选择。通过系统发育的明确参考，可以最好地理解Fervidobombus社会性状多样性的进化。例如，如果群体规模和社会组织是对地理上不同环境的局部适应（反映行为可塑性），那么可以预期，社会特征和环境变量将聚集在系统发育树的同一分支上。这一假设将被测试优化行为特征到一个系统发育树和测试的关联。提出的研究将导致Fervidobombus社会组织的新比较数据，并完成基于线粒体基因组核苷酸序列的物种系统发育。互动活动包括：(1)开设现代研究生水平的系统学课程；(2)开发一个系统实验室，作为一个互动设施；(3)开发计算机设备作为教学和培训工具。与学生和教师的其他互动包括早期职业女性科学家系列研讨会和博物馆午餐。

Behavioral plasticity in social organization has been linked to the evolution of the strikingly different levels of sociality exhibited among the Hymenoptera (ants, bees, and wasps). This research will study this idea with comparative behavior and phylogeny of the bumble bee subgenus Fervidobombus. Species of Fervidobombus, by virtue of their inter- and intraspecific phenotypic diversity in social organization among widespread geographic populations, are ideal for testing hypotheses concerning the role of behavioral plasticity in social organization. The evolution of diversity in social traits within Fervidobombus can best be understood through explicit reference to phylogeny. If, for example, colony size and social organization are local adaptations (reflecting behavioral plasticity) to geographically varying environments, then it would be expected that the social traits and environmental variables would cluster together on the same branches of a phylogenetic tree. This hypothesis will be tested optimizing behavioral traits onto a phylogentic tree and testing for association. The proposed research will lead to new comparative data on Fervidobombus social organization and to the completion of a species phylogeny based on nucleotide sequences from the mitochondrial genome. Interactive activities include: (1) developing a modern graduate level systematics course; (2) developing a systematics laboratory for use as an interactive facility; and (3) developing a computer facility for use as a teaching and training tool. Additional interactions with students and faculty include an early career female-scientists seminar series and museum lunch.