ABR: Systematics of Bahamian Cerion, and on Allometry and Covariation in Rules of Form for Cerion and Other Gastropod Shells

Cerion的壳比世界上任何其他的陆地蜗牛都要多。成虫的长度从5毫米到70毫米不等，形状从球形到非常窄的圆柱形。如果能够理解这种多样性是如何在一个物种之间差异不大的遗传程序中产生的，那么就可以深入了解关于形态变化的一个重要进化问题（黑猩猩和人类在遗传上也几乎没有什么不同，但在形态上却截然不同）。通过测量贝壳和建立生长特征的相关性，首席研究员已经表明，生长速度的微小变化如何产生成年形态的重大差异。这把钥匙使人们能够理解巴哈马群岛Cerion的地理和时间分布。在这个项目中，首席研究员将继续他关于巴哈马物种的系列专著，试图通过研究上面讨论的相关性来解释形式上的差异。对Cerion的生长模式和定义物种和种群的个体变化的适应（或非适应）状态的研究也将继续进行。

Cerion shows more variety in the form of its shell than any other land snail in the world. Sizes of adults range from 5 to 70 mm in length, shapes from spheres to very narrow cylinders. If an understanding of how such variety is generated within a genetic program that varies little from species to species could be obtained, insight would be gained into an important evolutionary question about change in form (chimps and humans are also very little different genetically, but morphologically quite disparate). By measuring shells and establishing correlations of characters in growth, the principal investigator has shown how small changes in rates of growth yield major differences in adult form. This key allows one to make sense of the geographic and temporal distribution of form in Cerion on the Bahama Islands. In this project, the principal investigator will continue his series of monographs on Bahaman species, trying to explain differences in form through the study of correlations discussed above. Studies of growth patterns in Cerion and the adaptive (or nonadaptive) status of individual changes that define species and populations will also be continued.