Attracting Mutualists and Antagonists: Fragrance Emission in Cucurbita Pepo Subsp. Texana

理解互惠选择和拮抗选择对花部性状进化的同时影响仍然是进化生态学家面临的一个挑战。花的香味使生殖结构变圆以促进授粉。然而，有害昆虫与传粉昆虫在同一气味景观中航行。如果相同的香味成分同时吸引互利者和拮抗者，那么香味的进化可能会受到相反的选择压力的限制。而动物是众所周知的，以减少性展示特征时，有捕食的风险，花的特点很少被认为是有害的昆虫。PI将评估德克萨斯葫芦（西葫芦亚种）花香变化的适应性效应。得克萨斯州）在存在和不存在食草动物。此外，PI将建立传粉者和食草动物的香味偏好，并进行操纵研究，以确定甲虫损害对香味产生的影响。最终PI将衡量与吸引传粉者但也吸引有害昆虫的性状相关的成本，这些成本可能导致健康收益递减。更广泛的影响：积极授粉对南瓜的果实生产是必要的。虽然研究的重点是害虫防治，但对授粉的重要性关注较少。传粉者和以南瓜为食的甲虫都被南瓜花的香味吸引并引导到南瓜花上。然而，作物品种的培育很少考虑香味的散发。然而，最近的努力旨在通过识别更香的南瓜品种来提高自然授粉。研究人员将研究增强香味的健身益处和潜在缺点，为提高作物产量提供数据。将鼓励本科少数族裔和女学生加入研究工作并独立开展项目。学生将接受现场方法和分析化学方面的培训，为他们提供广泛的工具和对实验设计和分析的见解。此外，将与当地农民交流关于当地昆虫种群的生物学和丰度的信息，并为一项关于南瓜蜂丰度模式的多国研究做出贡献。

Understanding the simultaneous effects of selection by mutualists and antagonists on the evolution of floral characters remains a challenge to evolutionary ecologists. Floral fragrance advertises reproductive structures to promote pollination. Detrimental insects, however, are navigating within the same scent landscape as pollinators. If the same scent components attract both mutualists and antagonists, evolution of fragrance may be constrained by opposing selection pressures. Whereas animals are known to reduce sexual display traits when there is risk of predation, floral traits have rarely been considered with regard to detrimental insects. The PI will evaluate the fitness effects of variation in floral fragrance of Texas gourd (Cucurbita pepo subsp. Texana) in the presence and absence of herbivores. Moreover, the PI will establish fragrance preference in pollinators and herbivores and conduct a manipulative study to determine the effect of beetle damage on fragrance production. Ultimately the PI will measure the costs associated with a trait that attracts pollinators but also attracts detrimental insects, costs that could result in diminishing returns with regard to fitness.Broader impacts: Active pollination is necessary for fruit production in squash. While research has focused on pest control, less attention has been paid to the importance of pollination. Both pollinators and the beetles that feed on squash are attracted and guided to the squash flower by its fragrance. Nevertheless, crop varieties have been bred with little regard to fragrance emission. Recent efforts, however, aim to enhance natural pollination by identifying more fragrant varieties of squash. The researchers will study the fitness benefits and potential disadvantages of enhanced fragrance, providing data for increasing crop yield. Undergraduate minority and women students will be encouraged to join the research effort and work independently on projects. Students will be trained in field methods and analytical chemistry, giving them a broad set of tools and insight into experimental design and analysis. In addition, information on the biology and abundances of local insect populations will be exchanged with local farmers as well as contribute to a multinational study of squash bee abundance patterns.