Phylogenetics of Life History and Development in Bombycoidea [Lepidoptera]

博士们已获得一笔赠款。马里兰大学的Charles Mitter和Jerome Regier，世界大学的Richard Peigler博士，以及伦敦自然历史博物馆的Ian Kitching博士，共同研究超科蚕蛾、蚕蛾、角虫及其亲戚的进化。一个相对较新的证据来源，细胞核中编码蛋白质的DNA序列，将被用来重建这些飞蛾的系统发育（=进化树）的主要分支。系统发育学将用于两种进化研究。第一项研究将测试关于食用植物进化的假设，包括这样的假设：在进化成寿命短、不进食的成年蛾的物种中，毛毛虫不像典型的习惯那样用长长的喙喝花蜜，它们可能以大型的、容易找到的植物物种为食，或者以许多不同的植物物种为食，或者两者兼而有之。第二项研究将利用一些野生蚕蛾物种蛋壳上的一种新的表面结构作为模型，探讨进化过程中解剖“创新”的遗传和发育基础。这项工作是重建鳞翅目昆虫（约160,000种已知物种）的系统发育的长期努力的一部分。鳞翅目在陆地生态系统中扮演着重要的角色，它们是食草动物、传粉者，也是鸟类和许多其他动物的食物。它们包括无数种农作物害虫，并为生态学、遗传学和生理学的基础研究提供模型系统。可靠的系统发育将是组织和指导鳞翅目研究的重要工具，包括寻求无害环境的虫害管理战略。系统发育也是理解鳞翅目物种惊人多样化及其关键生态特征（如对不同食物植物的专门化）的先决条件。

A grant has been awarded to Drs. Charles Mitter and Jerome Regier of the University of Maryland, Dr. Richard Peigler of the University of the Incarnate Word, and Dr. Ian Kitching of the Natural History Museum (London) to study the evolution of moths in the superfamily Bombycoidea, the silkmoths, hornworms, and relatives. A relatively new source of evidence, DNA sequences in the cell nucleus that encode proteins, will be used to reconstruct the major branches of the phylogeny (= evolutionary tree) of these moths. The phylogeny will then be used in two kinds of evolutionary studies. The first will test hypotheses about the evolution of food plant use, including the postulate that in species evolving a short-lived, non-feeding adult moth, unlike the typical habit of drinking nectar with a long proboscis, the caterpillars are likely to feed on large, easy-to-find plant species, or on many different plant species, or both. The second study will address the genetic and developmental basis of anatomical "innovations" during evolution, using a novel surface structure on the eggshell of some wild silkmoth species as a model. This work is part of long-term effort to reconstruct the phylogeny of the mega-diverse insect order Lepidoptera (~160,000 known species). Lepidoptera play a major role in terrestrial ecosystems, as herbivores, pollinators, and food for birds and many other animals. They include innumerable crop pest species, and provide model systems for fundamental studies of ecology, genetics, and physiology. A reliable phylogeny will be an essential tool for organizing and guiding research on Lepidoptera, including the search for environmentally sound pest management strategies. A phylogeny is also prerequisite for understanding the spectacular diversification of lepidopteran species and their key ecological features such as specialization on different food plants.