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是陆地多样性的重要引擎之一。植物气味是这些关系（食草动物，植物防御，授粉）的重要驱动力，但仍然很少整合到我们对花的进化和授粉生态学的理解。本研究探讨了花的气味在北美西部的月见草（Onagraceae）和他们的传粉者（天蛾，蜜蜂）和花卉和种子捕食者（Mompha蛾）的多样化的作用。整合生物多样性的遗传、系统发育和功能维度的假设是从共同进化的地理镶嵌理论发展而来的，该理论认为，物种分布中植物-动物相互作用的变化创造了推动当地多样化的变化进化轨迹。本研究探讨了功能性状的变化和选择力的领域和实验阵列，从人口的遗传基础上的变化，系统发育水平，使用比较基因组学，和模式的系统发育多样性在柳叶菜科和芒属。Mompha是一个知之甚少的属，是唯一已知的鳞翅目群体专门Onagraceae.Few的研究已经测试了全方位的植物健身结果时，挥发物吸引互利互惠者和敌人，没有目前的研究调查气味驱动，地理多样性的相互作用的生物群体。隐藏的多样性的花和种子的捕食者和他们的潜在选择剂构成了一个相当大的差距，以传粉者为中心的理解花的进化。化学生态学和比较基因组学的整合首次尝试探索过去的选择压力对非模式生物多样性模式的影响。此外，研究人员将吸引200多名学生（高中-研究生院，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/或被告知本研究的保护重点部分。

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.