9701097 Meagher Insects can cause positive and negative selection on flowering plants through their contrasting roles as pollinators and predators. This project addresses selection pressures placed on Silene latifolia (white campion) flowers by moths of the Hadena genus, which are pollinators and seed predators. The relative importance of Hadena moths as pollinators will be assessed for white campion growing in its native Spanish environment. Positive effects will be evaluated by reconstructing pollination events using genetic paternity analysis. Negative effects will be evaluated by investigating seed predation. Both positive and negative impacts of moth visitation will be analyzed in relation to flower size, which is important for moth attraction. Long-term effects of predation will be investigated by analyzing variation among populations in flower size in relation to observed current predation rates. This system provides a rare opportunity to study an interaction between two species that involves both positive and negative selection. Seed predation is also a major issue in agricultural systems, where pollination is desirable but the attraction of seed predators is not.
