Evolutionary ecology of organisms with strong phenotypic plasticity

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Examples of rapid evolution in nature reveal that evolutionary dynamics occur over ecologically-relevant time-scales. The feedback between evolutionary (e.g., selection & recombination) and ecological (e.g., competition & predation) processes is predicted to strongly influence biological dynamics, and recent experiments demonstrate that it can generate unique dynamics in the laboratory. Most research, however, does not consider the phenotypic plasticity in life-history that characterizes almost all organisms in nature. Using a freshwater predator-prey system, my research demonstrates that life-history plasticity generates contrasting types of predator-prey cycles. These cycles cause different rates of selection among predator genotypes, but in the opposite direction predicted by theory. As a result, our work suggests that the feedback may operate differently in organisms with strong phenotypic plasticity. Over the next five years, I will use freshwater zooplankton to study the influence of eco-evolutionary feedbacks on biological dynamics. My research combines experimental evolution and ecology with mathematical modeling, and uses both lab-based microcosm and field-based mesocosm experiments. To decompose the feedback into a series of testable hypotheses, experiments will use: 1) single genotype populations, which study the interaction between population dynamics and genotype-specific energy-budgets; 2) multiple genotype populations with asexual reproduction, which test how the feedback operates in different food webs; and 3) multiple genotype populations with sexual reproduction, which test the impact of recombination on community dynamics and genetic diversity. These projects will form the basis of 3 M.Sc. theses, 2 Ph.D. theses, and 6 undergraduate theses. Core to my research program is modeling, which makes it possible to isolate the mechanisms responsible for dynamics, and generate testable predictions at each stage of the feedback. Iteration between model development and hypothesis testing will lead to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms responsible for generating and maintaining genetic diversity in nature, and how they influence biological patterns.