International Research Fellow Awards: Gene Flow as a Constraint on Adaptive Evolution: A Test Within a Polymorphic Population of Lizards

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0076183JordanThe International Research Fellow Awards Program enables U.S. scientists and engineers to conduct three to twenty-four months of research abroad. The program's awards provide opportunities for joint research, and the use of unique or complementary facilities, expertise and experimental conditions abroad.This award will provide Dr. Mark A. Jordan with support for eighteen months to work with Dr. William Jordan at the Zoological Society of London in the United Kingdom. They will study gene flow as a constraint on adaptive evolution, a test in a polymorphic population of lizards.Theory predicts that gene flow should constrain local adaptive evolution. The principal investigator proposes to test this hypothesis using a population of Galapagos lava lizards that is polymorphic for traits associated with locomotor performance. He will use microsatellite DNA markers to determine the amount of gene flow within the population. High levels of gene flow will suggest that natural selection must be severe to maintain microgeographic variation in performance.Dr. William Jordan and his colleagues at the Institute of Zoology have extensive experience in the application of molecular techniques for the analysis of microsatellites in natural populations. The principal investigator will also travel to Ecuador and will involve students from there to help with his fieldwork. This research will benefit ongoing conservation efforts in the Galapagos. This project will allow estimates of population structure and effective population size: measures that are critical in making informed management decisions. ***