Collaborative Research: Untangling Tropical Diversity: A phylogenetic Analysis of Tritrophic Interactions

合作研究：解开热带多样性：三营养相互作用的系统发育分析

• 批准号: 0949027
• 负责人: Robert Wharton
• 金额: $ 9.85万
• 依托单位: Texas A&M AgriLife Research
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-02-15 至 2014-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0949027&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Untangling; Tropical; Diversity; Collaborative; Research; Untangling; Tropical; Diversity

Last Modified Date: 12/13/09 Last Modified By: Scott D. Snyder Abstract Plants and insects represent the majority of multicellular species on Earth. Most of those species are tropical; yet, most species in the tropics remain undiscovered. The proposed research has three primary goals: 1) discover and describe species of parasitic wasps that attack a very diverse group of plant-feeding flies; 2) discover patterns of host-use by the wasps; and, 3) reconstruct the history of the wasps' diversification (the evolution of many wasp species). To reach these goals, the team of investigators and their students will collect and rear insects, analyze the DNA of immature stages and adults, and analyze physical traits of adults. This project addresses a major biological question: is diversification mediated by interactions among organisms or is diversification an ecologically neutral process? The project focuses on three groups of economically important organisms: plants related to pumpkins; fruit flies related to major agricultural pests; and wasps that attack the flies and are potentially important for pest control. Undergraduate education is a key component of the project. Undergraduates will be involved in all aspects of the research, including fieldwork in the tropics, molecular data collection and analysis in the laboratory, and communication and dissemination of the research.

上次修改日期：2019年12月13日最后修改：Scott D. Snyder抽象植物和昆虫代表地球上大多数多细胞物种。这些物种大多数都是热带的。然而，热带地区的大多数物种仍未发现。拟议的研究具有三个主要目标：1）发现和描述寄生虫的寄生黄蜂物种； 2）发现黄蜂的宿主使用模式； 3）重建黄蜂多样化的历史（许多黄蜂物种的演变）。为了实现这些目标，研究人员及其学生团队将收集和培养昆虫，分析未成熟阶段和成人的DNA，并分析成人的身体特征。该项目解决了一个主要的生物学问题：多样化是由生物体之间的相互作用介导的还是多样化的生态中性过程？该项目着重于三组具有经济重要的生物：与南瓜有关的植物；与主要农业害虫有关的水果蝇；和攻击苍蝇的黄蜂对害虫控制非常重要。本科教育是该项目的关键组成部分。本科生将参与研究的各个方面，包括热带领域的现场工作，实验室中的分子数据收集和分析以及研究的沟通和传播。