Community consequences of aphid genetic diversity and interactions with ants

生态学家历来采用一种简化的假设，即物种之间的相互作用是足够均匀的，物种内部的变异可以忽略不计。换句话说，同一物种个体之间的差异在很大程度上被认为对理解物种之间的相互作用不重要。与此同时，进化生物学家的研究基于这样一个事实，即这种假设是错误的，即个体之间存在基于基因的差异，这些差异会对该物种的适应性产生影响。该项目将通过回答两个基本问题来研究这种差异，并为生态学和进化生物学之间的综合做出贡献：一个物种内的个体如何根据一个重要生态特征的遗传差异对周围群落的影响而变化？一个种群中某一重要生态性状的遗传变异量是否会对周围的群落产生可察觉的影响？本项目将通过测量蚜虫种群遗传变异的生态后果来解决这些问题，蚜虫与蚂蚁在植物物种火杂草上相互作用。田间实验将测试蚜虫对共生蚂蚁吸引力的遗传变异，并测量蚂蚁对蚜虫特定性状施加的自然选择。这种基于特征的蚜虫-蚂蚁关系的理解将被用于机械地描述蚜虫遗传变异如何影响蚂蚁和更广泛的群落，其中这种互惠关系是嵌入式的。该项目将在落基山生物实验室进行，并为其提供支持，因此具有重大的广泛影响。该机构加强了世界各地生物学家之间的知识交流与合作。本项目将为进化生态学的本科生和研究生提供研究训练。该项目还将包括向为代表性不足的少数民族服务的K-12学校理科班的学生和教师提供外展服务。

Ecologists have historically adopted the simplifying assumption that interactions among species are sufficiently homogeneous that variation within species can be ignored. In other words, differences among individuals of the same species are largely assumed to be unimportant to understanding the interactions among species. At the same time, evolutionary biologists base their research on the fact that this assumption is false, i.e. that there are genetically based differences among individuals that have consequences for the fitness of that species. This project will examine this discrepancy, and contribute to the synthesis between ecology and evolutionary biology, by answering two fundamental questions: How do individuals within a species vary in their influence on the surrounding community based upon genetically based differences in an ecologically important trait? Does the amount of genetic variation in a population for an ecologically important trait have detectable consequences for the surrounding community? This project will address these questions by measuring the ecological consequences of population genetic variation in the aphid Aphis varians that engages in a mutualism with ants on the plant species fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium). Field experiments will test for aphid genetic variation in attractiveness to mutualist ants and measure the natural selection imposed by ants on specific aphid traits. This trait-based understanding of aphid-ant relations will be used to mechanistically characterize how aphid genetic variation influences both ants and the broader community in which this mutualism is embedded.This project has the significant broader impact in that it will be conducted at, and support, the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory. This institution enhances intellectual exchange and collaboration among biologists from around the world. This project will provide research training for undergraduate and graduate students in evolutionary ecology. This project will also include an outreach effort to students and teachers in science classes in K-12 schools serving underrepresented minorities.