Examining links between behaviour, plasticity and diversification under environmental heterogeneity using broadly distributed spider species

使用广泛分布的蜘蛛物种检查环境异质性下行为、可塑性和多样化之间的联系

• 批准号: RGPIN-2017-06060
• 负责人: Andrade, Maydianne
• 金额: $ 2.4万
• 依托单位: University of Toronto
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2018-01-01 至 2019-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=643952
• 关键词: Examining; links; between; behaviour; plasticity

Understanding factors that drive and maintain biodiversity is a critical issue in contemporary biology, particularly as species are exposed to rapid climate change, habitat fragmentation, and other environmental alterations that challenge survival. A broad understanding of how organisms respond to environmental heterogeneity at a variety of scales is essential for addressing these contemporary problems. One area that may have predictive power is the study of plasticity-- how and when organisms vary in trait expression under variable environmental conditions. Plasticity may confer resilience for populations despite environmental challenges; allowing survival under a wider range of conditions than would otherwise be possible, and providing sufficient time for adaptation. There are many hypotheses for the evolution of different forms of plasticity, and these have been comprehensively tested in plants and a handful of model systems. Our understanding is hampered however, by the limited taxonomic range of these models. Here I propose studies that will provide a significant leap in understanding by testing hypotheses for the evolution of adaptive plasticity in taxa for which my past work has defined the ecological and social contexts linked to plasticity, and demonstrated the tractability of experimental study in the field and lab. My research personnel and I will use two species of sexually cannibalistic ‘black widow' spiders (Latrodectus hesperus, Latrodectus hasselti) and a mate-guarding jumping spider (Phidippus clarus) to ask about the scale of environmental variation that causes evolutionary adaptation or plasticity. All three species have broad geographic ranges and are exposed to varied environmental conditions in nature, as well as experiencing local shifts in selection as mating seasons progress. All are amenable to study in the field and lab. Moreover, since spiders are top predators of terrestrial invertebrates, they are a critical part of terrestrial food webs. Here I propose studies of multiple populations of each species to test sex-specific hypotheses about the evolution of plasticity. Work will assay how phenotypic variation affects fitness in nature across latitudinal clines, testing my predictions that this is mediated by sexual competition in males and naturally-selected competition over food and refuges in females. Laboratory studies, linked to insights from field work, will quantify (1) clinal divergence in adaptive phenotypes and (2) whether the degree of plasticity across latitudinal gradients is predicted by abiotic conditions versus local variation in demographic context. In this proposal, I leverage my lab's extensive expertise in integrated field and laboratory studies of reproductive fitness to provide new understanding of the conditions that shape the evolution of adaptive plasticity across at a range of temporal and spatial scales.

了解驱动和维持生物多样性的因素是当代生物学的一个关键问题，特别是当物种面临快速气候变化，栖息地破碎化和其他挑战生存的环境变化时。 广泛了解生物体如何在各种尺度上对环境异质性作出反应，对于解决这些当代问题至关重要。 一个可能具有预测能力的领域是可塑性的研究-生物体在可变的环境条件下如何以及何时改变性状表达。 可塑性可以赋予人口弹性，尽管环境的挑战;允许生存在更广泛的条件下比否则是可能的，并提供足够的时间适应。对于不同形式的可塑性的进化有许多假设，这些假设已经在植物和少数模型系统中得到了全面的测试。然而，由于这些模型的分类范围有限，我们的理解受到阻碍。在这里，我提出的研究，将提供一个显着的飞跃，通过测试假设的适应性可塑性的进化类群，我过去的工作已经定义了生态和社会背景下的可塑性，并证明了在现场和实验室的实验研究的易处理性。 我的研究人员和我将使用两种性食同类的“黑寡妇”蜘蛛（Latrodectus hesperus，Latrodectus hasselti）和一种配偶守卫跳蛛（Phidippus clarus）来询问导致进化适应或可塑性的环境变化的规模。 所有这三个物种都有广泛的地理范围，并暴露于自然界中不同的环境条件，以及随着交配季节的进展，在选择中经历当地的变化。所有这些都可以在现场和实验室进行研究。此外，由于蜘蛛是陆地无脊椎动物的顶级捕食者，它们是陆地食物网的重要组成部分。在这里，我建议研究每个物种的多个种群，以测试性别特异性的可塑性进化的假设。工作将分析表型变异如何影响在自然界中跨纬度梯度的健身，测试我的预测，这是介导的男性和自然选择的食物和避难所的竞争，在女性的性竞争。实验室研究，从实地工作的见解，将量化（1）适应性表型的倾斜分歧和（2）是否跨纬度梯度的可塑性程度是由非生物条件与人口背景下的局部变化预测。在这个提案中，我利用我的实验室在生殖健康的综合领域和实验室研究方面的广泛专业知识，以提供对在一系列时间和空间尺度上形成适应性可塑性进化的条件的新理解。