DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Genetic and Phenotypic Variation in Resource Acquisition and Allocation: Testing the Fundamental Model for Life-history Evolution.

生物体只有有限的能量用于基本的生命过程，如繁殖和扩散。他们必须将这种能量分配给相互竞争的结构和功能，从而导致“权衡”。在这些过程之间。了解这些权衡如何形成分配策略是理解生物多样性的核心。在这项提案中，研究人员使用一个理论模型来预测权衡的变化模式，并提出了一个实验来测试这些预测，利用沙蟋蟀Gryllus firmus的飞行能力和繁殖产出之间的权衡进行了充分研究。通过在不同的食物水平上养育家庭，他们将量化遗传（家庭）和资源可用性（食物水平）对能量获取及其随后分配到竞争过程的影响。这些结果将被整合到一个新的遗传模型中，用于预测物种内部和物种之间的权衡变化。该项目的一个关键目标是通过为不同种族的本科生干部提供实践经验来培养新的科学家。该项目为学生提供了一个不同寻常的挑战，即整合包括生理学、生态学、遗传学和进化在内的多个层面的生物学知识。有才华的学生将被鼓励开发独立的研究项目，而费尔贝恩在指导这类学生方面有着良好的成功记录。

Organisms have a finite amount of energy to devote to basic life processes such as reproduction and dispersal. They must allocate this energy to competing structures and functions, leading to ?trade-offs? between these processes. Understanding how these trade-offs shape allocation strategies is central to understanding biological diversity. In this proposal, the investigators use a theoretical model to predict patterns of variation in trade-offs and propose an experiment to test these predictions using the well-studied trade-off between flight capability and reproductive output in the sand cricket, Gryllus firmus. By raising families on different food levels, they will quantify the influence of genetics (family) and resource availability (food level) on both the acquisition of energy and its subsequent allocation to competing processes. These results will be integrated into a novel genetic model for predicting variation in trade-offs within and among species.A key objective of this project is to train new scientists by providing hands-on experience for an ethnically diverse cadre of undergraduate students. The project offers students the unusual challenge of integrating biological knowledge across many levels, including physiology, ecology, genetics and evolution. Talented students will be encouraged to develop independent research projects and PI Fairbairn has a strong record of success in mentoring such students.