There are many factors that contribute to speciation events. Importantly in plants, pollinators can have a large impact on breeding between different individuals. This discrimination of pollinators is driven by a variety of morphological traits in the plant, therefore possibly leading specific pollinators to having a strong plant preference. In the Western United States, rabbitbrush is a common shrub with over 20 different sub-species that co-exist and may exchange genes. Despite their interbreeding these sub-species appear as seemingly stable evolutionary units. This knowledge leads to the question: Do pollinators discriminate between sub-species of rabbitbrush? Studying these differences can be important for predicting gene flow and how speciation events may start to occur. To answer this question, we intend to complete a series of experiments comparing variables of two sub-species of rabbitbrush; viability of seeds, morphological floral measurements, identification of insect communities, observational field trials with fluorescent pigment as a proxy for gene flow, and chemical analysis. We expect that due to the floral morphological differences, pollinators will favor one sub-species of rabbitbrush over the other. Thereby, providing evidence of pollinator impact on speciation events through gene flow. This study will provide understanding of ongoing diversification events of rabbitbrush. Additionally, the knowledge found will contribute to the more general and deeper understanding of how ecological roles, between pollinator and plant, contribute to evolution.To answer this question, we intend to complete a series of experiments comparing variables of two sub-species of rabbitbrush; viability of seeds, morphological floral measurements, identification of insect communities, observational field trials with fluorescent pigment as a proxy for gene flow, and chemical analysis. We expect that due to the floral morphological differences, pollinators will favor one sub-species of rabbitbrush over the other. Thereby, providing evidence of pollinator impact on speciation events through gene flow. This study will provide understanding of ongoing diversification events of rabbitbrush. Additionally, the knowledge found will contribute to the more general and deeper understanding of how ecological roles, between pollinator and plant, contribute to evolution.
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