ABR: Inherited Microorganisms and Reproductive Isolation in Insects

9707665沃尔巴克氏菌是一种广泛存在的胞内细菌，存在于许多无脊椎动物的生殖组织中。这些细菌通过卵子“遗传”，并以几种有趣的方式改变宿主的繁殖。例如，许多沃尔巴克氏菌菌株会导致“细胞质不亲和性”，即精子和卵子之间的不亲和性，从而导致父系染色体的破坏，并阻碍胚胎的发育。沃尔巴克氏菌具有特殊的研究价值，因为它们可以加速新物种的形成，并且在害虫控制、受精和早期发育研究中具有广泛的应用前景。这里的研究集中在“沃尔巴克氏菌是否参与种群和物种之间的生殖隔离(即它们是物种形成的机制)”这一问题。这项拟议的研究将在一系列实验室和自然种群实验中解决这个问题。通过结合对自然系统和实验种群的研究，这项研究应该有助于我们理解沃尔巴克氏菌在导致生殖隔离中的潜在作用，以及沃尔巴克氏菌在密切相关物种之间移动的能力。

9707665 Werren Wolbachia are a widespread group of intracellular bacteria that are found in the reproductive tissues of many invertebrates. These bacteria are "inherited" through the eggs and alter reproduction of their hosts in several interesting ways. For example, many strains of Wolbachia cause "cytoplasmic incompatibility" an incompatibility between sperm and egg that causes destruction of paternal chromosomes and prevents development of the embryo. Wolbachia are of special interest because they may accelerate the formation of new species, and are of wide interest as potential agents for insect pest control and for studying fertilization and early development. Research here focuses on the question "Are Wolbachia involved in reproductive isolation between populations and species (i.e. are they a mechanism of speciation)?". The proposed research will address this question in a series of laboratory and natural population experiments By combining studies of natural systems and experimental populations, this research should contribute significantly to our understanding of the potential role of Wolbachia in causing reproductive isolation, and the ability of Wolbachia to move between closely related species.