Bimodal Hybrid Zones: Understanding Evolutionary Stasis in the Allonemobius fasciatus-A. socius Hybrid Zone

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0316194HowardThe ground crickets, Allonemobius fasciatus and A. socius, are abundant in the eastern United States and form a hybrid zone (an area where two species overlap in distribution, mate, and produce hybrids) that has become an important model system for population geneticists. Over the next five years, populations near and within the zone will be monitored through collections and genetic analyses. Previous work has demonstrated that the distributions of A. fasciatus and A. socius are based on a coupling between genotype and temperature. Thus, the position of the hybrid zone should track environmental change as a kind of genetic thermometer. By combining geographic information system (GIS) technology, environmental data, and long-term genetic data a rigorous model of the species-environment relationship will be constructed. This model will provide new insights into the impact of climatic change on the distribution of insect populations. The proposed work represents a pioneering effort to combine GIS with the study of hybrid zones. The approach will exploit the unique nature of hybrid zones, which typically occur at the edge of species ranges and hence are highly sensitive to environmental perturbations, to gain insight into environmental change and the relationship between genotype and environment. It is also noteworthy that this project will help train scientists at a Hispanic-serving university.