Ecological Interactions and the Dynamics of a Semi-aquatic Insect

这项拟议的研究将考虑自然选择和性选择一起发挥作用和相互对立的几种情况，以及有机体如何以最大化其适应性的方式运作。这项研究结合了实地调查、实地实验和实验室实验。这些实验将检验捕食风险、密度和性别比例对水生昆虫Gerris reigis的交互作用。这项研究将对自然选择和性选择如何相互作用塑造进化产生新的见解。这项工作还应该产生关于河流生态如何受到周围土地破坏的影响的额外知识。

The proposed research will consider several situations in which natural and sexual selection function together and in opposition to one another, and how an organism can behave in a way that maximizes its fitness. The research combines field surveys, field experiments, and laboratory experiments. These experiments will examine the interacting effects of predation risk, density, and sex ratio in Gerris remigis, a species of aquatic insect. The research will produce new insights into how natural selection and sexual selection interact to shape evolution. Additional knowledge of how stream ecology may be affected by the destruction of surrounding land should also result from this work.