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

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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.