Maternal effects, character displacement, and the origins of diversity

当生物体经历不同的环境时，它们通常表现出不同的表型；例如，不同的形态或行为。事实上，生物体因环境变化而变化的这种趋势（称为表型可塑性）是如此普遍，以至于它可以被视为生物的普遍属性。尽管长期以来的理论表明，表型可塑性可能会在生物体中产生新的性状，但我们对表型可塑性在促进物种内部和物种之间多样性方面的作用知之甚少。拟议的研究将通过检查母体遗传可塑性是否以及如何促进两栖动物物种内部和物种之间的多样性来填补这一关键空白。这些目标将通过实验室实验和对自然种群的观察相结合来实现。这项研究的结果对于理解生物是如何发育、运作和进化的至关重要。事实上，这项工作将帮助我们了解环境，而不仅仅是基因，是如何影响发育的。这项工作对于评估发育性疾病的起源和治疗至关重要。这一建议还将通过培训年轻科学家从事跨学科研究来促进教育推广，并将通过积极从代表性不足的群体中招募学生来扩大获取科学的机会。最后，这项研究将通过计划中的K-12学生和教师科学推广项目用于教育公众。

When organisms experience different environments, they often display different phenotypes; i.e., different morphologies or behaviors. Indeed, this tendency for organisms to vary in response to changing environments (termed phenotypic plasticity) is so ubiquitous that it can be regarded as a universal property of living things. Despite longstanding theory suggesting that phenotypic plasticity may generate novel traits in organisms, we know relatively little about phenotypic plasticity's role in promoting diversity within and between species. The proposed research will seek to fill this critical gap by examining whether and how maternally inherited plasticity promotes diversity within and between species of amphibians. These goals will be achieved using a combination of laboratory experiments and observations of natural populations. The results of this research could prove vital for understanding how living things develop, function, and evolve. Indeed, this work will help us to understand how the environment, not just genes, affects development. Such work is critical for evaluating the origin and treatment of developmental diseases. This proposal will also contribute to educational outreach by training young scientists in interdisciplinary research, and will broaden access to science by actively recruiting students from underrepresented groups. Finally, the research will be used to educate the public through a planned science outreach program for K-12 students and teachers.