DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The ecology and evolution of morphological scaling

相对性状大小的变化是适应和多样化发生的主要机制。这项研究将严格检验这样一种假设，即对生态性能的选择产生了一种观察到的模式，经常被引用为已知最引人注目的适应案例之一。果蝇的翅膀大小不一，因此在凉爽的环境中，果蝇的翅膀大得不成比例。这项研究将(1)对冷热环境中的飞行性能进行人工选择，以进化出在各种温度下具有适合飞行的形态的苍蝇种群；(2)评估这些苍蝇在飞行和生存测试中的适应性质；(3)确定选择作用于每个性状的强度和模式。此外，拟议的工作将涉及培训四名本科生，其中包括来自科学界代表性不足群体的个人。

Change in relative trait size is a primary mechanism by which adaptation and diversification occurs. This study will rigorously test the hypothesis that selection on ecological performance has produced an observed pattern frequently cited as one of the most compelling cases of adaptation known. Fruit flies vary in wing size such that in cooler environments flies are larger with disproportionately large wings. This study will (1) impose artificial selection on flight performance in warm and cool environments to evolve populations of flies possessing morphology suited to flight at each temperature, (2) assess the adaptive nature of the those flies in flight and survival assays, and (3) determine the strength and pattern of selection acting on each trait. In addition, the proposed work will involve the training of four undergraduates, including individuals from groups that are underrepresented in the sciences.