DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Evolutionary Responses of Daphnia to Climate Change in Vernal Ponds

论文研究：春季池塘水蚤对气候变化的进化反应

• 批准号: 0909359
• 负责人: Nicholas Gotelli
• 金额: $ 1.32万
• 依托单位: University of Vermont & State Agricultural College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-06-01 至 2011-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0909359&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Evolutionary; Responses; Daphnia

Understanding the impacts of climate change is one of the most important challenges humans face today. How species will respond to these changes in their environment is a crucial piece of that understanding. Species have four main ways to deal with climate change: extinction, range shifts, behavioral or non-genetic changes, and evolution. Using an existing experiment which simulates different climate change scenarios in temporary ponds, the PIs will subsample experimental ponds for the water flea Daphnia pulex. These Daphnia will be raised in a controlled environment and various traits will be measured to learn if they have undergone evolutionary change or if the responses reflect a plastic (non-genetic) response. The results will provide data that will help in understanding how species are confronting a rapidly changing world. The study will address whether, in the face of climate change, populations will adapt through evolution to novel environments, or respond through non-genetic adjustments within their ranges of physiological tolerance. This grant will be used to train and mentor high school students and college undergraduates in both the field and the laboratory. Students will gain not only practical field and laboratory skills, but also exposure to a variety of scientific disciplines including ecology, evolution, mathematics, and computer science. The work will provide insight into how species are meeting a rapidly changing world and will help to train the next generation of scientists who must confront these global challenges.

了解气候变化的影响是当今人类面临的最重要挑战之一。 物种如何应对环境的这些变化是理解的关键。物种有四种主要方式来应对气候变化：灭绝，范围转移，行为或非遗传变化和进化。利用现有的实验，在临时池塘模拟不同的气候变化情景，PI将对实验池塘进行水蚤蚤的二次抽样。这些水蚤将在受控环境中饲养，并测量各种特征，以了解它们是否经历了进化变化，或者这些反应是否反映了可塑性（非遗传性）反应。研究结果将提供有助于了解物种如何面对快速变化的世界的数据。该研究将探讨在气候变化面前，人口是否会通过进化适应新的环境，或通过在其生理耐受范围内的非遗传调整作出反应。 这笔赠款将用于培训和指导高中学生和大学本科生在现场和实验室。学生将获得不仅是实践领域和实验室技能，而且还接触到各种科学学科，包括生态学，进化论，数学和计算机科学。 这项工作将深入了解物种如何应对快速变化的世界，并将有助于培养必须应对这些全球挑战的下一代科学家。