Collaborative Research: Architectural Effects and the Analysis of Sexual Size Dimorphism

1888年，查尔斯达尔文发表了《同种植物上的花的不同形式》。 达尔文描述了许多植物物种，其中形态上不同的花朵出生在同一个体或种群内的不同个体上，并推测了这种花的二型性是如何进化的。 自达尔文时代以来，人们提出了更多的假说并进行了探索，其中大多数假说都集中在不同花型的生殖功能上。 这项研究提出了一个新的假设，即花形的差异可能是由于发育时间的差异和花在生物体三维结构中的位置。这项研究通过将植物发育的独特方面纳入进化假说，为进化发育生物学的新生领域做出了贡献。 此外，该项目将把研究与教学、培训和学习结合起来。 来自学习环境截然不同的两所院校（阿默斯特学院，一所小型文科学院和科罗拉多大学，一所大型研究机构）的不同教育阶段（研究生和本科生）的学生将参加这一合作项目。 每个学生将接受形态学和比较进化分析的培训，并将有机会与不同的类群合作。 本科生也将有机会在备用机构度过一个夏天，并与两个PI一起工作。

In 1888, Charles Darwin published "The Different Forms of Flowers on Plants of the Same Species". Darwin described many plant species in which morphologically distinct flowers were born on the same individual or on different individuals within populations, and speculated about how such floral dimorphisms evolved. Since Darwin's time, additional hypotheses have been proposed and explored, the majority of which focus on the contrasting reproductive functions of the different floral types. This research addresses a new hypothesis, that divergence in flower form can be due to differences in the timing of development and to the position of flowers within the three-dimensional structure of the organism. This research contributes to the nascent field of evolutionary developmental biology by incorporating unique aspects of plant development into evolutionary hypotheses. In addition, this project will integrate research with teaching, training and learning. Students at different stages of their education (graduate and undergraduate) from two institutions that differ dramatically in learning environment (Amherst College, a small liberal arts college and University of Colorado, a large research I institution) will participate in this collaborative project. Each student will receive training in morphological and comparative evolutionary analyses and will have the opportunity to work with diverse taxa. Undergraduates will also have the opportunity to spend one summer at the alternate institution and to work with both PIs.