Dimensions: Collaborative Research: Scent-mediated diversification of flowers and moths across western North America

开花植物和昆虫之间的关系代表了陆地多样性的一个重要引擎。植物气味是这些关系(草食、植物防御、授粉)的重要驱动力，但与我们对花卉进化和授粉生态的理解仍然很差。这项研究考察了花香在北美西部月见草科植物及其传粉者(天蛾、蜜蜂)和花卉和种子捕食者(莫法蛾)多样性中的作用。将生物多样性的遗传、系统发育和功能维度整合在一起的假说是从共同进化的地理镶嵌理论发展而来的，该理论假设一个物种分布范围内动植物相互作用的变化产生了不断变化的进化轨迹，从而推动了当地的多样性。这项研究考察了田间和实验阵列中的功能性状变异和选择性，利用比较基因组学从种群到系统发育水平的变异的遗传基础，以及Onagraceae和Mompha的系统发育多样性模式。Mompha是一个鲜为人知的属，是唯一已知的专门研究Onagraceae的鳞翅目昆虫。很少有研究测试了当挥发物同时吸引互助者和敌人时植物适合性的全谱结果，目前还没有研究在相互作用的有机体群体中调查气味驱动的地理多样性。花卉和种子捕食者的隐藏多样性及其作为选择性媒介的潜力构成了以传粉者为中心的花卉进化理解的相当大的差距。化学生态学和比较基因组学的结合为探索过去选择压力对非模式生物当前多样性模式的影响提供了第一次尝试。此外，调查人员将邀请200多名学生(高中研究生、实习生和博士后)参加实地工作、实验和基因组学/信息学活动。私人和公共土地所有者和志愿者将参与和/或了解这项研究以保护为重点的部分。

Relationships among flowering plants and insects represent one of the great engines of terrestrial diversity. Plant scents are important drivers of these relationships (herbivory, plant defense, pollination), but remain poorly integrated into our understanding of floral evolution and pollination ecology. This study examines the role of floral scent in the diversification of the western North American evening primroses (Onagraceae) and their pollinators (hawkmoths, bees) and floral and seed predators (Mompha moths). Hypotheses that integrate across the genetic, phylogenetic, and functional dimensions of biodiversity are developed from the Geographic Mosaic Theory of Coevolution, which posits that variation in plant-animal interactions across the distribution of a species creates shifting evolutionary trajectories that drive local diversification. The research examines functional trait variation and selective forces in the field and experimental arrays, the genetic basis of the variation from the population to phylogenetic level using comparative genomics, and patterns of phylogenetic diversity in Onagraceae and Mompha. Mompha is a poorly understood genus that is the only known lepidopteran group to specialize on Onagraceae.Few studies have tested the full spectrum of plant fitness outcomes when volatiles attract both mutualists and enemies, and no current studies have investigated scent-driven, geographic diversification in groups of interacting organisms. The hidden diversity of floral and seed predators and their potential as selective agents constitutes a considerable gap in pollinator-centric understanding of floral evolution. The integration of chemical ecology and comparative genomics provides a first attempt to explore the impact of past selective pressures on current patterns of diversity in non-model organisms. Additionally, the investigators will engage over 200 students (high school - graduate school, interns, and postdocs) in field work, experiments, and genomics/informatics activities. Private and public land owners and volunteers will participate in and/or be informed of conservation-focused components of this study.