Fitness in free-living populations in a changing world

我们对种群对快速环境变化或波动时期的进化和生态反应知之甚少。新的方法提出了剖析变化的各种原因及其人口后果的可能性。然而，这些方法依赖于对个体的谱系、生存和繁殖成功的长期研究。研究人员将利用极具代表性的超级鹪鹩的数据，将这一物种作为研究气候变化的模型，并研究社会群体生活在何种程度上有助于或阻碍对这种变化的进化反应。

We understand very little about the evolutionary and ecological response of populations to periods of rapid environmental change or volatility. New methods raise the possibility dissecting the various causes of change, and their demographic consequences. However, these methods depend on long-term studies of the genealogy, survival and reproductive success of individuals. Data on the iconic superb fairy-wren will be used to establish this species as a model for the study of climate change, and the extent to which living in social groups helps or hinders evolutionary response to such change.