"Evolutionary, developmental and functional aspects of skeletal variation in a mouse population selectively bred for increased long bone length"

表型变异通过选择为进化提供了燃料。尽管在进化过程中起着核心作用，表型变异的几个方面仍然知之甚少。其中包括：（i）表型变异与进化能力之间的关系，（ii）复杂性状中遗传、发育和表型变异之间的关系，以及（iii）表型变异与生物体功能和性能变异之间的关系。该提案概述了一个创新的研究计划，以综合的方式解决这些关系，在小鼠中使用人工选择。通过选择性繁殖胫骨长度的相对增加，该计划旨在修改胫骨长度和相关性状的（共）变异模式，并创建一个与对照群体相比具有相对较长寿命的小鼠群体。

Phenotypic variation provides the fuel for evolution by means of selection. Despite this central role in the evolutionary process, several aspects of phenotypic variation remain poorly understood. These include: (i) the relationship between phenotypic variation and evolvability, (ii) the relationship between genetic, developmental and phenotypic variation in complex traits, and (iii) the relationship between phenotypic variation and variation in organismal function and performance. This proposal outlines an innovative research program that addresses these relationships in an integrative fashion, using artificial selection in mice. Through selective breeding for relative increases in tibia length, the program seeks to modify patterns of (co)variation in tibia length and correlated traits, and to create a population of mice with relatively longer tibiae compared to a control population.