The Adaptive Significance of Phenotypic Plasticity and Reaction Norm Evolution in a Natural System

自然环境因地而异，随时间而异。这种变化有些是自然的（例如，温度的垂直和纬度梯度），有些是由人类活动引起的（例如，城市温度效应、全球气候变化）。本研究将研究一种模式昆虫——条纹地蟋蟀（Allonemobius socius）——对其生命周期进行可塑性调整以适应时空气候变化的能力。这项研究还将确定这种可塑性的遗传基础。将调查沿海拔和纬度线的种群之间的遗传变异，以及预计对环境变化作出可塑性反应的能力不同的种群内部的遗传变异。该研究将为研究对过去环境变化的适应性进化反应提供有价值的信息。此外，通过描述种群内存在的遗传变异的数量，就有可能预测对未来气候变化的适应性反应的速度。

The natural environment varies considerably from place to place, and in time. Some of this variation is natural (e.g., altitudinal and latitudinal gradients in temperature) and some of it is induced by human activities (e.g., urban temperature effects, global climatic changes). This study will investigate the ability of a model insect, the striped ground cricket Allonemobius socius, to plastically adjust its life cycle to meet the challenges of climatic variation in space and time. This study will also determine the genetic basis for this plasticity. Genetic variation will be investigated both among populations along altitudinal and latitudinal clines and within populations that are expected to vary in their ability to plastically respond to environmental change. This study will provide valuable information concerning adaptive evolutionary responses to past environmental changes. In addition, by characterizing the amount of genetic variation that exists within populations it will be possible to predict the rate of adaptive response to future changes in climate.