Genetic, Environmental and Maternal Influences on Grasshopper Life Histories

生命史中最重要的特征之一是出生和死亡的比率和时间表，因为它们决定了生物体在其环境中的“成功”。在昆虫中，这些时间表也受到迁徙和滞育（昆虫冬眠的类似物）的影响。丁格尔博士的研究特别关注包括迁徙和滞育在内的生命史是如何受到基因和环境的影响的，因为这些因素共同决定了进化的速度和方向。较小的迁徙蚱蜢特别有趣，因为它在纬度和海拔上的范围都很广。通过研究从海平面到10000英尺的海拔梯度，将有可能确定自然选择是如何在广泛的环境中塑造生命历史的。这种蚱蜢也很有趣，因为雌性决定它们的卵是否滞育，拥挤会在形态和发育速度上产生巨大的变化。当然，后者会影响生育计划，从而影响生活史。遗传和环境影响对所有这些因素的相互作用是本研究的重点。本研究也具有重要的应用价值。蚱蜢，包括较少迁徙的蚱蜢，是臭名昭著的爆发物种，定期大量繁殖，破坏大面积的作物。重要的是要了解蝗虫生活史的遗传学和生态学，以便了解暴发的原因并预测暴发的地点，以便制定控制措施。

Among the most important features of life histories are the rates and schedules of births and deaths because they determine the "success" of organisms in their environment. In, insects, these schedules are also affected by migration and diapause (the insect analogue of hibernation). Dr Dingle's research is especially concerned with how life histories, including migration and diapause, are influenced by genes and the environment because these factors act in concert to determine rate and direction of evolution. The lesser migratory grasshopper is particularly interesting because it ranges widely both latitudinally and altitudinally. By studying it over an altitudinal gradient from sea level to 10,000 feet it will be possible to determine how natural selection has molded life histories over a wide range of environments. This grasshopper is also interesting because females determine whether or not their eggs diapause, and crowding produces dramatic changes in morphology and development rates. The latter, of course, influences the schedule of births and so affects life histories. Genetic and environmental influences on the interplay of all these factors are the focus of this study. This research also has significant applied aspects. Grasshoppers, including the lesser migratory grasshopper, are notorious outbreak species and periodically produce large populations which devastate crops over wide areas. It is important to understand the genetics and ecology of grasshopper life histories in order to understand why outbreaks occur and to predict where they will occur so that control measures can be instituted.