The genetic basis for evolution of moth sexual communication systems

达尔文指出，他的自然选择进化理论中的一个潜在的薄弱环节是复杂性状的存在，这些性状的组成部分本身似乎是非适应性的。在定量水平上更好地了解这些特征的演变仍然是一个重要的挑战。这项拟议的研究将研究蛾性交流特征的遗传基础，其中雌性产生一种具有许多挥发性化合物的精确混合物的性信息素，而雄性只对同一物种的雌性混合物有行为反应。产生新混合物的突变雌性和具有对尚未存在的混合物做出反应的基因的罕见雄性似乎被选择反对，所以很难理解达尔文选择如何导致我们今天看到的数千种多样化的信息素和蛾类物种。利用不同信息素混合物的两种蛾类之间的杂交将用于确定负责它们之间在信息素产生和感知方面的差异的特定基因。下一步，将确定控制核苷酸变化并测量其适应性后果。 我们将利用我们的工作蛾信息素多样化作为一种手段，教育公众有关的进化过程，可能会导致复杂的性状，似乎有中间形式，选择反对。除了对生物学领域的固有价值外，性通讯基因的知识还可能导致控制蛾类害虫的新方法的发展。

Darwin pointed out that one potentially weak area in his theory of evolution by natural selection was the existence of complex traits, the components of which appear to be non-adaptive on their own. Gaining a better understanding the evolution of such traits at a quantitative level is still an important challenge. The proposed research will examine the genetic basis of moth sexual communication traits where a female produces a sex pheromone with a precise blend of a number of volatile compounds, and males are behaviorally responsive only to the blend of females of the same species. Mutant females that produce a novel blend and rare males with genes for responding to as yet non-existing blends appear to be selected against, so it is hard to understand how Darwinian selection could result in the thousands of diversified pheromones and moth species that we see today. Crosses between two moth species that utilize different pheromone blends will be used to identify the specific genes responsible for the differences between them in pheromone production and perception. As a next step, the controlling nucleotide changes will be determined and their fitness consequences measured. We will use our work on moth pheromone diversification as a means to educate the public about evolutionary processes that can result in complex traits that seem to have intermediate forms that are selected against. In addition to its inherent value to the field of biology, the knowledge of sexual communication genes could lead to development of new ways to control moth pests.