Dissertation Research: The Ecological and Evolutionary Determinants of Host Range in the Tachinidae

9801537莫兰和斯特雷曼这项研究涉及决定寄生昆虫寄主范围的因素。许多寄生虫高度专门化，通常不能在宿主之间移动。相比之下，作为寄生虫的寄生蝇(双翅目；寄蝇科)往往表现出广泛的寄主范围。关于是什么生态因素决定了寄生蜂利用的寄主范围，目前还知之甚少。PI假设寄主范围主要由用于寻找寄主物种的搜索策略决定。他们的研究将采取三种方法：1)比较两个寄主专一性不同的物种与寄主相关的行为；2)研究田间寄生寄生蜂群落对寄主的利用模式；3)分析寄主利用在该科的一个亚群中的进化模式。通过整合这三个层次的调查信息，它们将进一步加深我们对寄生蜂-寄主协会的发展和生态改良的理解。

9801537 Moran and Stireman This research is concerned with the factors that determine the host range of parasitic insects. Many parasites are highly specialized and generally incapable of moving between hosts. In contrast, tachinid flies that act as parasites (Diptera; Tachinidae) tend to exhibit wide host ranges. There is relatively little understanding of what ecological factors determine the range of hosts utilized by a parasitoid. The PIs hypothesize that tachinid host ranges are primarily determined by the search strategies used to find host species. Their research will take three approaches: 1) it will involve a comparison of host-related behaviors of two species that vary in host specificity, 2) examine the patterns of host use by a community of tachinid parasitoids in the field and 3) analyze the evolutionary patterns of host use in a subgroup of the family. By integrating information from these three levels of inquiry, they will further our understanding of the development and ecological modification of parasitoid-host associations.