Award Abstract #0701336
International Research Fellowship Program: Is the Correlated Morphology between Long-Proboscis Fly Prosoeca Ganglebauri & the Flower Zaluzianskya Microsiphon Due to Co-Evolution?

NSF Org:	OISE Office of International Science and Engineering
Initial Amendment Date:	June 1, 2007
Latest Amendment Date:	June 1, 2007
Award Number:	0701336
Award Instrument:	Fellowship
Program Manager:	Susan Parris OISE Office of International Science and Engineering O/D OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR
Start Date:	January 1, 2008
Expires:	December 31, 2009 (Estimated)
Awarded Amount to Date:	$90705
Investigator(s):	Shelah Morita simorita@ncsu.edu (Principal Investigator)
Sponsor:	Morita Shelah I Davis, CA 95616 / -
NSF Program(s):	EAPSI
Field Application(s):	0000099 Other Applications NEC
Program Reference Code(s):	OTHR, 5976, 5956, 1066, 0000
Program Element Code(s):	7316

ABSTRACT

0701336

Morita

The International Research Fellowship Program enables U.S. scientists and engineers to conduct nine to twenty-four months of research abroad. The program's awards provide opportunities for joint research, and the use of unique or complementary facilities, expertise and experimental conditions abroad.

This award will support a twenty-four-month research fellowship by Dr. Shelah I. Morita to work Dr. Bruce Anderson at University of Stellenbosch, South Africa and Dr. Steven Johnson at University of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

This study is the first to assess critically the selection pressures on proboscis length for a long-proboscis fly pollinator. Specifically, it examines the geographic correlation in morphology between the long-tongued fly, Prosoeca ganglbauerii and the long-tubed flower, Zaluzianskya microsiphon (Anderson et al. 2005) using both macro- and microevolutoinary methods. First, they are investigating the phylogeny of Prosoeca species in South Africa to determine the number of evolutionary units in the Proseca ganglbaueri species complex. Using this, they are examining the evolution of proboscis length in Prosoeca ganglbaueri in an historical context. This is achieved by exploring the phylogeographic structure of this fly species and testing whether it has a common evolutionary history with Zaluzianskya microsiphon with both co-phylogenetic and matrix based methods. They are also testing the predictive value of Zaluzianskya in detrmining geographical differences in fly proboscis morphology by mapping the distribution of different Zaluzianskya floral species in comparison to proboscis length in Proeseca. The researchers expect to find that the Prosoeca ganglebauri species complex is more than one species. They also expect to find a good match between the phylogenies of the fly and the flower, indicating that they are coevolved. Finally, they expect to find that Zaluzianskya flowers of certain morphologies are able to predict the geographic distribution of proboscis length in the flies. Doing so will aid in our understanding of coevolutionary relationships between plants and pollinators. The results of this study will help understand and better preserve these species of long-proboscis flies. Because of the high fidelity of these plants to just a single species of pollinator, this fly can be regarded as a keystone species. Without Prosoeca ganglbauri, several plants may face the danger of reproductive failure and ultimate extinction. This system has the potential to serve as a fascinating model for coevolutionary studies as well as being an important system to study from a conservation perspective.

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