Mechanisms of Indirect and Direct Sexual Selection in an Ultrasonic Pyralid Moth

在择偶过程中，雌性在选择配偶时可以从中获得1)直接提高其繁殖成功率的资源和/或2)在后代中表达的“好”基因。虽然这两种机制并非不相容，但它们在性选择中的相对作用尚不清楚。此外，基于遗传因素的女性选择假定在某些男性特征的基础上存在大量遗传变异，但对这种遗传变异的维持却知之甚少。这些问题仍然存在，因为性选择通常是在不适合控制实验室实验和遗传分析的物种中研究的。迈克尔·格林菲尔德博士之前的研究表明，一种不寻常的蛾类，灰纹蛾，是研究配偶选择的绝佳对象。稻瘟病菌的雌性选择是基于对雄性超声波信号的识别。在这个项目中，格林菲尔德将采用各种育种实验和实地观察，以1)测试选定雄性性状遗传变异的潜在来源，2)确定这两种机制的相对重要性。这些发现将有助于我们对声音信号和感知的基本知识的了解，并提供对用于配偶选择的特征进化方式的独特彻底的评估。因为灰蚜是蜜蜂的一种小害虫（它的普通名称是小蜡蛾），这些信息也应该证明对管理这种害虫和其他更有害的害虫是有用的。

Greenfield 9807915 In mate choice, females select mates from which they may obtain 1) resources that directly enhance their reproductive success and/or 2) "good" genes that are expressed in their offspring. While these two mechanisms are not incompatible, their relative contributions to sexual selection are not known. Moreover, female choice based on genetic factors assumes substantial genetic variation underlying certain male trait(s), but the maintenance of such genetic variation is poorly understood. These problems remain because sexual selection has often been studied in species that are not amenable to controlled laboratory experiments and genetic analyses. Previous work by Dr. Michael Greenfield indicates that an unusual pyralid moth, Achroia grisella, is an excellent subject for studying mate choice. Female choice in A. grisella is based on discrimination of male ultrasonic signals. In this project Greenfield will employ a variety of breeding experiments, and field observations to 1) test potential sources of the genetic variation in selected male traits, and 2) determine the relative importance of the two mechanisms. Findings will contribute to our basic knowledge of acoustic signaling and perception and provide a uniquely thorough assessment of the ways in which traits used for mate choice evolve. Because A. grisella is a minor pest of honeybees (its common name is the lesser wax moth), such information should also prove useful in the management of this and other more harmful insect pests.