Coastal mosaics of local adaptation and the eco-evolutionary dynamics of a marine predator-prey interaction

从历史上看，生态学家认为进化是一个在很长一段时间内通常反应缓慢的过程。然而，最近的研究表明，进化也可能在更短的时间内塑造物种相互作用的方式，从几周到几年不等。进化和生态之间的这种快速反馈在海洋生态系统中很重要吗？该项目将通过研究以加州贻贝为食的捕食性蜗牛(通道螺)来解决美国太平洋沿岸的这个问题。先前的研究表明，一些狗螺种群由各种各样的个体组成，这些个体在钻穿贻贝贝壳的效率方面存在遗传差异。这个项目将测试环境的短期变化是否可以实施快速的自然选择，这种自然选择有利于其中一些钻探变体，改变海螺种群对周围贻贝种群的影响。与此同时，该项目将研究贻贝壳厚度的地区差异是否影响了分布在加利福尼亚州和俄勒冈州海岸900公里处的狗螺种群的钻探能力的演变。总体而言，这项研究试图了解进化和生态之间的动态反馈，这些反馈可能会在面对不断变化的海洋条件时影响海洋群落。该项目将培训不同的本科生和研究生，并将为重要的公共宣传部分奠定基础，包括制作可访问的视频纪录片。该项目旨在通过调查海洋变化、自然选择、物种相互作用和群落演替之间的联系，促进我们对海洋生态进化动力学的理解。该项目将使用通道型狗螺和加利福尼亚贻贝之间的相互作用作为一个模型系统，以解决两个主要目标。(1)研究小组将探索选择的空间马赛克如何推动消费者群体之间的适应性差异。将对新收集和存档的贻贝进行分析，以表征加州和俄勒冈州海岸贝壳厚度的变化，并评估这种空间镶嵌在过去20年中是一致的还是可变的。实验室实验将测试分布在这片马赛克上的犬螺种群是否在它们可以成功钻取的贝壳厚度上存在分歧。(2)研究小组将研究消费者表型选择的时间变化是否会影响捕食者-猎物之间的相互作用，从而对生态动力学产生连锁影响。特别是，该项目将测试猎物招募和贝壳厚度的短期变化是否可以在狗螺种群中对钻探表型的频率施加快速选择。现场实验还将测试对这些捕食者表型的选择是否反过来改变贻贝床成功的轨迹。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Historically, ecologists regarded evolution as a process that typically acts slowly over very long time scales. However, recent studies suggest that evolution might also shape the way species interact over much shorter timespans, ranging from weeks to years. Are these sorts of rapid feedbacks between evolution and ecology important in marine ecosystems? This project will address this question along the Pacific coast of the United States by studying predatory snails (Channeled Dogwhelks) that feed on California Mussels, an important habitat-forming species on rocky intertidal shores. Prior research shows that some dogwhelk populations are composed of an assortment of individuals that differ genetically in how effectively they can drill through mussel shells. This project will test whether short-term changes in the environment can impose rapid natural selection that favors some of these drilling variants over others, altering the effects that a dogwhelk population has on the surrounding mussel bed. At the same time, this project will examine whether regional differences in mussel shell thickness have influenced the evolution of drilling ability among dogwhelk populations distributed along 900 kilometers of the California and Oregon coasts. Overall, this study seeks to understand the dynamic feedbacks between evolution and ecology that might influence marine communities in the face of changing ocean conditions. This project will train diverse undergraduate and graduate students and will provide the foundation for a significant public outreach component, including the production of accessible video documentaries.This project seeks to advance our understanding of eco-evolutionary dynamics in the sea by investigating links among oceanographic variation, natural selection, species interactions, and community succession. This project will use the interaction between the Channeled Dogwhelk (Nucella canaliculata) and the California Mussel (Mytilus californianus) as a model system to address two central objectives. (1) The research team will explore how spatial mosaics of selection drive adaptive differentiation among populations of consumers. Newly collected and archived mussels will be analyzed to characterize variation in shell thickness along the coasts of California and Oregon, and to evaluate whether this spatial mosaic has been consistent or variable over the past two decades. Laboratory experiments will test whether dogwhelk populations distributed across this mosaic have diverged in the thickness of shell that they can drill successfully. (2) The research team will examine whether temporal variation in selection on consumer phenotypes shapes predator-prey interactions, with cascading effects on ecological dynamics. In particular, the project will test whether short-term variation in prey recruitment and shell thickness can impose rapid selection on the frequency of drilling phenotypes within a dogwhelk population. A field experiment will also test whether selection on these predator phenotypes in turn alters the trajectory of mussel bed succession.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.