DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Evolution of Host Specialization in Hawaiian Moths

加州大学伯克利分校的罗斯玛丽·吉莱斯皮博士和曼迪·海德尔女士获得了一项资助，用于研究仅在夏威夷群岛发现的一群蛾的进化和生态。其中一些蛾只能以一种植物为食(专家)，而另一些则以多种不同的植物为食(多面手)，吉莱斯皮和赫德尔将对这一现象进行调查。他们假设，飞蛾对寄主植物的选择存在进化成分，以至于专门的物种无法扩大它们的寄主植物范围。无法多样化地寻找替代食物来源，可能会使这些物种更容易灭绝。通过研究这些飞蛾之间的进化关系，他们的目标是检验这一假设，并发现可能面临灭绝风险的专业物种。要做到这一点，将使用分子(DNA序列)和形态数据来确定飞蛾之间的关系。此外，野外采集的毛虫将使它们能够检查每个物种的寄主-植物联系。夏威夷群岛的濒危动植物比其他任何一个州都多。这项研究中的飞蛾是夏威夷森林生态系统的组成部分；它们是鸟类和其他昆虫的重要猎物，不同的物种可以吃本地和非本地植物。然而，识别指南是不存在的，而且通常不可能将生态信息与给定的物种联系起来。这给保护带来了严重的问题，阻碍了对稀有物种的任何有效管理或恢复计划的制定。作为这项研究的一部分，将制作一份关于飞蛾的互动指南光盘，其中将包括成虫和幼虫的图像，以便于识别。本指南将提供给土地管理人员、联邦机构和研究机构。

A grant has been awarded to Dr. Rosemary Gillespie and Ms. Mandy Heddle at the University of California at Berkeley to study the evolution and ecology of a group of moths found only in the Hawaiian Islands. Some of these moths are able to feed on only one species of plant (specialists), while others have a broad diet feeding on many different species of plants (generalists), a phenomenon that Gillespie and Heddle will investigate. They hypothesize there is an evolutionary component to the host plant choices a moth makes, such that specialized species are unable to expand their host plant range. The inability to diversify to alternative food sources may make these species more susceptible to extinction. By examining the evolutionary relationships among these moths, they aim to test this hypothesis and detect specialist species that may be at risk from extinction. To do this, relationships among the moths will be determined using molecular (DNA sequences) and morphological data. In addition, field collections of caterpillars will allow them to examine the host-plant associations of each species. The Hawaiian Islands have more endangered animals and plants than any other state. The moths in this study are an integral part of Hawaii's forest ecosystems; they are important prey items for birds and other insects and different species can feed on both native and non-native plants. However, identification guides are non-existent, and it is generally impossible to associate ecological information with a given species. This poses serious problems for conservation, preventing the development of any effective management or recovery plans for rare species. As part of this study an interactive guide to moths will be produced on CD that will include images of adults and larvae, facilitating easy identification. This guide will be made available to land managers, federal agencies, and research institutions.