CAREER: Size Matters - The regulation of allometry in insects

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The relationship between body and organ size, called allometry, defines the shape of an animal. It is no exaggeration to say that the evolution of animal form is to a great extent the evolution of allometry. Despite this, almost nothing is known of the processes that regulate allometry, leaving a conspicuous gap in our knowledge of how animals develop and evolve. The goal of this research is to uncover the developmental mechanisms that regulate allometry. The research will take a molecular genetic approach to identify the genes that regulate allometry and examine how these genes act during development to ensure that final organ size correctly matches final body size. The results address a fundamental, as yet unanswered, question: how is growth of individual organs coordinated with growth of the body as a whole? The outcome of the research will identify the developmental mechanisms that regulate animal shape, which is an essential first step in understanding how animal shape evolves. The broader impact of this proposal is that it will support the development of a program aimed at expanding the research opportunities for undergraduates at Michigan State University, particularly those from groups underrepresented in science. Furthermore, it will benefit the wider academic community through the development of a web-based tool (Flypic.org) specifically designed to facilitate the teaching of Drosophila genetics to undergraduates.