This project will address current conceptual problems in our understanding of cooperation and conflict in animals. Aphids are among the few insect groups outside of Hymenoptera that express complex sociality, but remain poorly-understood. The central question of Abbot's research is: what is the genomic and ecological basis of defensive and social phenotypes in herbivorous insects? The research will combine genomic and ecological field experiments to test hypotheses on the roles of competition, pathogenesis, and venom use in shaping the major features of sociality in aphids. Because these are also important pests of vegetable crops in the United States, the genomic and natural history data deposited at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/) will prove valuable to farmers and agricultural researchers alike. The majority of the funds will support the training of a female graduate student, who is a member of an under-represented group in science. As part of her training, she and Abbot will: 1) Engage with high school students from both poorly-performing local schools and high school students recruited from around the country; 2) Promote the training of undergraduate and high school students by recruiting them to Abbot's lab; 3) Participate in a "science café" series at a local science center, which involves dialogues between scientists and the general public.
