DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Comparative studies in reproductive interference: linking floral adaptations and species divergence

性状置换是一个进化过程，两个或两个以上的物种在一起时表现出更大的分歧。由于群落的组成在地理上各不相同，一个物种可能与其地理范围内的各种不同物种共存;因此，物种之间相互作用的变化可能导致选择促进种群之间的种内分化。拟议的研究探讨了这一过程中的开花植物马先蒿cranolopha，表现出大量的种内花的变化。基因组标记将被用来追踪种群遗传历史，以测试种群之间的花的变化如何与社区相似性，以及它是否影响种群之间的基因流。通过研究群落环境中生殖隔离的进化，本研究将提高我们对物种相互作用如何影响进化和物种形成速率的理解。本研究将在中国横断山区进行，这是一个生物多样性热点，研究很少，对产生或维持多样性的过程知之甚少。通过与中国科学家合作，这项工作将促进未来的国际合作。此外，它还将通过对青年科学家进行实地和实验室技能培训，提供教育推广。研究结果将通过菲尔德自然历史博物馆的外联门户网站向公众（包括K-12学生）传播。

Character displacement is an evolutionary process whereby two or more species exhibit increased divergence when occurring together. Because the composition of communities varies geographically, a single species may co-occur with a variety of different species across its geographic range; as a consequence, variation in interactions between species can cause selection promoting within-species divergence among populations. The proposed research examines this process in the flowering plant Pedicularis cranolopha, which exhibits substantial within-species floral variation. Genomic markers will be used to trace population genetic histories to test how floral variation among populations relates to community similarity and whether it affects gene flow among populations. By examining the evolution of reproductive isolation in a community context, this research will improve our understanding of how species interactions affect rates of evolution and speciation.This study will be conducted in the Hengduan Mountains in China, a biodiversity hotspot that is poorly studied with little known about processes generating or maintaining diversity. By working with Chinese scientists this work will promote future international collaborations. In addition, it will provide educational outreach through training of young scientists both in field and laboratory skills. Results will be disseminated to the general public (including K-12 students) through outreach portals available at the Field Museum of Natural History.