** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** CHOCOLATE, A FAVORITE FOOD LOVED BY MANY PEOPLE WORLDWIDE, IS MORE THAN JUST AN INDULGENCE FOR THE 50 MILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE WHO DEPEND ON IT FOR INCOME. UNFORTUNATELY, CHOCOLATE HAS A DARK SIDE, WITH THE AVERAGE CACAO FARMER LIVING WELL BELOW THE POVERTY LINE. FARMERS' LIMITED RESOURCES OFTEN LEAD TO POOR FARMING PRACTICES, WHICH IN TURN LEAD TO BROADER ISSUES SUCH AS DETERIORATED LOCAL ECOSYSTEMS AND POORLY MANAGED GENETIC DIVERSITY IN CULTIVATED CACAO TREES. THESE PROBLEMS ALSO INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD THAT DEVASTATING CROP DISEASES AND CLIMATE CHANGE WILL NEGATIVELY IMPACT FARMERS' LIVELIHOODS. FORTUNATELY, WE DON'T NEED TO CHOOSE BETWEEN CHOCOLATE AND THE ENVIRONMENT BECAUSE CACAO CULTIVATION CAN BE UNIQUELY CAPABLE OF SUPPORTING BOTH RESILIENT CACAO PRODUCTION AND BIODIVERSITY. MY PROJECT WILL EXPLORE UNDERUTILIZED GENETIC DIVERSITY OF CACAO AND SHED LIGHT ON CACAO POLLINATION TO HELP FARMERS GROW ROBUST AND VALUABLE CACAO WITH FEWER COSTLY INPUTS.I WILL SEQUENCE THE GENOMES OF WILD CACAO TREES FROM A POPULATION IN BELIZE TO SURVEY THE GENETIC DIVERSITY FOUND IN A WILD CACAO POPULATION. THESE TREES ARE HIGHLY VALUED FOR THEIR FINE FLAVOR BUT ARE RARE IN CULTIVATION. ANALYSES OF THE TREE GENOMES WILL REVEAL WHICH TREES ARE POLLINATING EACH OTHER, WHICH WILL REVEAL HOW INSECTS ARE MOVING POLLEN IN A WILD CACAO FOREST. LASTLY, I WILL COMPARE INSECT ABUNDANCE BETWEEN WILD AND CULTIVATED CACAO TREES, WITH A SPECIAL FOCUS ON IDENTIFYING POTENTIAL CACAO POLLINATORS AND THEIR PREFERRED HABITATS. A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE BEHAVIOR OF POLLINATORS WILL GUIDE FARMERS IN ACCESSING AND IMPROVING ECOSYSTEM SERVICES TO INCREASE POLLINATION, AND THUS POD PRODUCTION, WHILE LIMITING NEGATIVE EFFECTS ON BIODIVERSITY.