DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Examining conflicting selection pressures on floral morphology of Silene stellata by the pollinating seed predator Hadena ectypa

论文研究：检验授粉种子捕食者 Hadena ectypa 对 Silene stellata 花形态的相互冲突的选择压力

• 批准号: 1501799
• 负责人: Charles Fenster
• 金额: $ 1.94万
• 依托单位: University of Maryland, College Park
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-05-01 至 2017-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1501799&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Examining; conflicting; selection

Animal pollinators are thought to produce conflicting selective pressures on different structures within the flowers they pollinate. This study will investigate the differing selection pressures on stamens and pistils within flowers of Silene stellata, a native perennial herb, by Hadena ectypa, a nocturnal moth that acts as a pollinator as well as a seed predator of Silene. This is a pioneering study into the largely unexplored area of conflicting selective pressures on different aspects of floral morphology within a hermaphroditic plant species and will provide valuable insights into the evolution of floral diversity. In addition, this project will test and optimize the application of a genetic technique to estimate reproductive success of the pollen donor. The project provides excellent training opportunities for the graduate student and will also involve several undergraduate research assistants and high school interns in all of molecular biology and genetic aspects.This research will build on two successive years of field experiments to investigate phenotypic selection on stamens and pistils in flowers of Silene stellata, This project will develop and employ 24 highly variable microsatellite genetic markers to assess reproductive success of the pollen donor within 2138 seedlings germinated from a population of 231 tagged adult individuals. Success of the pollen donor will then be estimated by determining the multi-locus genotypes of the seedlings and the adult plants. The high resolution genotyping required to determine the identity of the pollen donor within a tetraploid such as Silene stellata necessitates the development of additional genetic markers. These new markers will facilitate future genetic studies of Silene stellata and will provide a model approach for other researchers investigating the genetics of poorly known, polyploidy species.

人们认为动物传粉媒介会对他们授粉的花朵内的不同结构产生矛盾的选择压力。这项研究将研究Hadena Ectypa的Silene Stellata（一种本地多年生草药）花的雄蕊和雌蕊的不同选择压力，Hadena Ectypa是一种夜间蛾，是授粉媒介，也是Silene的种子捕食者。这是一项开创性的研究，对雌雄同体种类的花卉形态的不同方面的选择性压力很大程度上尚未开发，并将为花卉多样性的演变提供宝贵的见解。此外，该项目将测试并优化遗传技术在估计花粉供体的生殖成功方面的应用。 The project provides excellent training opportunities for the graduate student and will also involve several undergraduate research assistants and high school interns in all of molecular biology and genetic aspects.This research will build on two successive years of field experiments to investigate phenotypic selection on stamens and pistils in flowers of Silene stellata, This project will develop and employ 24 highly variable microsatellite genetic markers to assess reproductive success of the pollen donor within 2138个幼苗从231个标记的成年个体中发芽。然后，将通过确定幼苗和成年植物的多基因级基因型来估算花粉供体的成功。 确定在四倍体中的花粉供体的身份（例如锡烯stellata）所需的高分辨率基因分型需要开发其他遗传标记。 这些新标记将促进Silene stellata的未来遗传研究，并将为研究良好已知的多倍体物种的遗传学的其他研究人员提供模型方法。