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

自然环境因地而异，在时间上也有很大的差异。其中一些变化是自然的(例如，温度的海拔和纬度梯度)，另一些是由人类活动(例如，城市温度影响、全球气候变化)引起的。这项研究将调查一种模式昆虫--条纹地蟋蟀-的模型昆虫-的模型昆虫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斜坡的种群之间的遗传变异，以及预计其对环境变化的可塑性反应能力不同的种群内的遗传变异。这项研究将提供关于过去环境变化的适应性进化反应的有价值的信息。此外，通过表征种群中存在的遗传变异量，将有可能预测对未来气候变化的适应性反应速度。

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.