Fungal Mimicry And It's Consequences In The Unique Deceptive Pollination Of Dracula Orchids

真菌模仿及其在德古拉兰花独特的欺骗性授粉中的后果

• 批准号: 0841613
• 负责人: Barbara Roy
• 金额: $ 57.29万
• 依托单位: University of Oregon Eugene
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-08-01 至 2013-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0841613&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Fungal; Mimicry; Consequences; Unique; Deceptive

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Mimicry, the adaptive resemblance of one organism to another, is one of the most compelling examples of evolution by natural selection. Although most examples of mimicry concern defense strategies of animals, floral mimicry also occurs. Dracula orchids (about 150 species) appear to be a remarkable but poorly known example of mimicry in plants: their flowers look and smell like mushrooms. However, the key component of mimicry in Dracula orchids, that the similarity to mushrooms actually benefits the plants, has never been tested. This project is designed to understand the ecology and evolution of mushroom mimicry in Dracula orchids through pollination experiments, chemical analysis of orchid and mushroom fragrances, and testing for pollinator specificity using field experiments and genetic analysis in natural populations of the orchids in Ecuador.This project will contribute to mimicry theory in general and specifically its extension to non-animal systems. Furthermore, it will enhance the current, and sometimes contentious, discussions in pollination ecology about specific versus generalist pollinators and the ecological forces and genetic mechanisms responsible for their evolution. This project also has broad implications for the power of natural selection in shaping the biology of organisms at local scales and the evolutionary forces resulting from interactions among species that create and maintain biological diversity.Broader impacts of this project will include advanced training for students and a postdoctoral fellow, and international collaborations with Swiss scientists and two Ecuadorian women scientists. Responsible, sustainable ecotourism will be promoted by providing the kind of natural history story that draws inquisitive visitors and by working closely with Fundación Los Cedros, a private organization that protects 17,000 acres of primary rainforest in a biodiversity hotspot. Beyond its intrinsic value to conservation, remarkable biological narratives about fascinating organisms inspire new scientists and improve public engagement in science.

该奖项是根据《2009 年美国复苏和再投资法案》（公法 111-5）资助的。拟态是一种生物体与另一种生物体的适应性相似性，是自然选择进化最引人注目的例子之一，尽管大多数都是拟态的例子。考虑到动物的防御策略，德古拉兰花（约 150 种）似乎也是植物拟态的一个显着但鲜为人知的例子：它们的花看起来和闻起来都很像。然而，德古拉兰花拟态的关键组成部分，即与蘑菇的相似性实际上对植物有益，这一点从未被测试过。该项目旨在通过授粉实验、化学分析来了解德古拉兰花的蘑菇拟态的生态和进化。兰花和蘑菇香料的研究，并通过厄瓜多尔兰花自然种群的现场实验和遗传分析来测试传粉媒介的特异性。该项目将有助于一般的拟态理论，特别是将其扩展到非动物此外，它将加强授粉生态学中关于特定授粉媒介与通用授粉媒介以及负责其进化的生态力量和遗传机制的当前（有时是有争议的）讨论。该项目还对自然选择在塑造授粉媒介方面的力量具有广泛的影响。该项目的更广泛影响将包括对学生和博士后研究员的高级培训，以及与瑞士科学家和两名厄瓜多尔女科学家的国际合作。通过提供吸引好奇游客的自然历史故事，并与Fundación Los Cedros密切合作，促进负责任、可持续的生态旅游。Fundación Los Cedros是一家私人组织，除了保护生物多样性热点地区17,000英亩的原始雨林外，还保护其内在价值。关于迷人生物体的非凡生物学叙述激发了新科学家的灵感并提高了公众对科学的参与度。