THOMPSON DEB-9707781 Recent hypotheses on the coevolutionary process have suggested that ongoing coevolution between species may require networks of geographically interconnected populations. A major component of the overall geographic mosaic theory of coevolution is that interactions between species evolve through interconnected coevolutionary hotspots (i.e., communities in which reciprocal evolution occurs between particular pairs of species) and coldspots (i.e., communities in which the interactions are not coevolving). This study will use the interaction between the moth Greya politella and its major hostplant Lithophragma parviflorum to provide a direct test of whether coevolutionary hotspots actually occur. This work will use the observation that the Greya-Lithophragma interaction may vary from mutualism to commensalism to antagonism among communities as a way of determining how coevolutionary hotspots may be distributed geographically. Critical tests of the geographic mosaic theory of coevolution are important for our applied use of ecological processes for three reasons. First, these studies will help evaluate whether biological priorities for conservation of species and the genetic richness they harbor need to take these geographic mosaics into account. Second, results of these studies will be useful in developing protocols for programs involving the geographic mixing or homogenization of populations, as occurs in species reintroduction programs and biological control programs. Finally, these studies will aid directly in the development of a broader landscape approach to the application of ecological processes and principles.
