植物-传粉者相互作用历来被认为是驱动花色进化的重要原因，然而，验证传粉者作用的研究大多数集中于单个物种，且较少考虑动物与人在感知方面的显著差异，因此无法探究花色在一个类群中的进化路径。山茶属是我国西南地区花形态相近，但花色分化明显的一个大属，其花色进化的适应意义有待研究。申请者在对金花茶和油茶等物种的传粉系统的研究基础上，选择我国西南地区的山茶属植物作为研究对象，计划通过对属内25个种开展花被反射光谱测定和传粉者调查，将人眼中的“花色”转换成传粉动物视觉中的“花色”，并重建山茶属的系统发育树，在系统学水平研究花色进化与传粉模式的关系。另外，选择部分花色不同的山茶进行控制实验，通过人为改变花被反射光谱来验证花色进化与传粉者偏好的相关假说。该项目的开展不仅能为探讨山茶属花色的进化路径提供直接证据，而且能为在物种水平上阐明植物-传粉者相互作用在山茶属的花部特征分化过程中的作用提供理论依据。

Floral color diversity has been often thought to be driven by pollinator mediated selection. Does floral color, therefore, reflect the visual capacities of the pollinator fauna? Or pollinator’s preference determines the evolutionary direction of floral color? Evidence to address these questions is surprisingly limited, although new insights from vision science combined with advances in phylogenetic comparative methods offer the potential for rapid advances in our understanding of the color divergence/convergence in angiosperm. Genus Camellia (Theaceae) provides a great opportunity to study the evolution of pollination-system transitions and floral color diversification. It includes around 200 species with similar floral morphology (less-specialized, open, radiate corollas) but different floral color. In the previous studies, we found sunbird-honeybee pollinated species Camellia petelotii with yellow flower in South China had sister species C. oleifera with white flower that was insect-pollinated and sister species C. polyodonta with red flower that was bird-pollinated. It maybe suggested that divergence of floral color related to pollination-system transitions. To understand the adaptive strategy of floral color in this genus, we plan to conduct comparative studies of pollination system among 25 Camellia species in Southwest China. Floral color will be quantified by measuring the reflectance spectrum of perianth and transform to pollinator's visual system. Well-resolved species-level phylogenies are necessary to interpret of ancestral states and understand the relationship between evolutionary pollination-system transitions and the evolution of floral color. Furthermore, our researches including artificial control experiment of changing the reflectance spectrum of perianth to examine the preference of pollinator. This project could not only help us understand the evolution of Camellia flower color, but also provide new insights into the role of plant-pollinator interaction in the diversification of Camellia at the species level.