Dimensions: Collaborative Research: Diversification Dynamics of Multitrophic Interactions in Tropical Communities

维度：合作研究：热带群落多营养相互作用的多样化动态

• 批准号: 1542395
• 负责人: Brian Wiegmann
• 金额: $ 13.29万
• 依托单位: North Carolina State University
• 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: 2015-09-01 至 2020-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1542395&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Dimensions; Collaborative; Research; Diversification; Dynamics

How is biodiversity generated and maintained? Much evidence suggests that parasites play an important role in both the origin and the maintenance of biological diversity. This project focuses on one of the most diverse groups of organisms on the planet: herbivorous insects, their parasites, and their microbes. The project targets three economically important groups of organisms: plants in the pumpkin/cucumber family, true fruit flies that attack these plants, and parasitic wasps that kill the flies. These wasps belong to a highly diverse and little studied group of species. Each wasp species can kill only one fly species; wasps attacking the "wrong" species of fly die. These bi-directional lethal interactions may be mediated by microbes (in wasps, flies, or both), by traits of flies' immune systems, or both. This project is designed to uncover the mechanisms (evolutionary, ecological, and immunological) affecting interactions that may help explain the diversity of life. Many species of true fruit flies are major agricultural pests; this project will greatly increase knowledge about factors contributing to their susceptibility to parasitoids. The project tests hypotheses that predict that: 1) defenses of parasites and their hosts affect diversification rates; 2) mechanisms of virulence differ among lineages, and 3) selection arising from predator-prey interactions can affect rates of species-formation. To discover and identify mechanisms of diversification, participants will generate and analyze molecular 1) high-resolution genetic data, multiple nuclear loci, and mtCOI haplotypes to delineate species, and resolve deeper phylogenetic relationships; 2) microsatellites and ddRAD-seq markers to discover and quantify fine-scale genetic diversity within and among populations; 3) phylogenies and field experiments to test hypotheses about mechanisms generating and controlling diversity on ancient, recent, and contemporary timescales. Undergraduate students from all participating colleges and universities will participate in the research.

生物多样性如何产生和维护？许多证据表明，寄生虫在生物多样性的起源和维持中都起着重要作用。该项目着重于地球上最多样化的生物之一：草食昆虫，它们的寄生虫和它们的微生物。该项目针对三个重要的生物群：南瓜/黄瓜家族中的植物，攻击这些植物的真正果蝇以及杀死苍蝇的寄生黄蜂。这些黄蜂属于一个高度多样化的小组。每种黄蜂物种只能杀死一个飞蝇。黄蜂攻击苍蝇死亡的“错误”物种。这些双向致命相互作用可以是由微生物（在黄蜂，蝇或两者兼而有之），蝇的免疫系统的特征或两者兼而有之。该项目旨在揭示影响相互作用的机制（进化，生态和免疫学），这可能有助于解释生活的多样性。许多真正的水果蝇是主要的农业害虫。该项目将大大提高有关导致其对寄生虫敏感性的因素的知识。该项目测试假设：1）寄生虫及其宿主的防御能力影响多样化率； 2）谱系之间的毒力机制不同，3）捕食者 - 捕食相互作用引起的选择会影响物种形成速率。为了发现和识别多样化的机制，参与者将产生和分析分子1）高分辨率遗传数据，多个核基因座和MTCOI单倍型来划定物种，并解决更深的系统发育关系； 2）微卫星和DDRAD-SEQ标记，以发现和量化人群内外的细尺度遗传多样性； 3）系统发育和现场实验，以测试有关在古代，最近和当代时间表上产生和控制多样性的机制的假设。来自所有参与学院和大学的本科生将参加这项研究。