The Ecology of Sexual Selection

性选择的生态学

• 批准号: RGPIN-2017-04674
• 负责人: Judge, Kevin
• 金额: $ 2.04万
• 依托单位: Grant MacEwan University
• 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=654904
• 关键词: Ecology; Sexual; Selection

Measuring sexual selection in nature is a major focus of evolutionary biology and has been facilitated by the development of multivariate statistical tools. However, the future of these tools lies in bringing them within an experimental framework. My long-term research objective is to understand how the environment affects the evolution of mating systems in the wild. A major difficulty is collecting accurate measures of fitness for large numbers of individuals. One solution is to use systems in which individual fitness is recorded on the organism's body. Such is the case for male mating success in insects of the genus Cyphoderris, where mating females chew on the male's hind wings, damaging them permanently. I will use the Cyphoderris system to pursue 2 short-term research objectives.******Short-Term Objective 1: The Effects of Ecological Gradients on Sexual Selection***Comparatively little attention has been focussed on the evolutionary effects of ecological changes on wild populations. I have shown that hungry female Cyphoderris are more likely to mate than well-fed females. This raises the possibility that the strength of sexual selection is dependent upon resource availability. Cyphoderris populations are found throughout the forested interior of BC and western regions of Alberta – areas that are both ecologically and economically important. I will measure sexual selection in wild populations of Cyphoderris in these regions that have been exposed to varying degrees of environmental disturbance (e.g. forest harvest regime, pine beetle infestation, fire occurrence). Evolutionary adaptations are important to our understanding of the scope and long-term effects of ecological disturbances and the ability of wild populations to tolerate environmental change.******Short-Term Objective 2: The Ecology of Hybridization and the Breakdown of Species Isolating Mechanisms***Hybrid zones have long fascinated evolutionary biologists because they are natural laboratories in which the processes governing speciation and the maintenance of species boundaries can be tested. Recently, I have found morphological evidence of hybridization between C. buckelli and C. monstrosa, and have shown that males provide nutritional resources to females during mating. I propose to use the Cyphoderris hybrid zone to study the evolutionary effects of species isolating mechanisms. Understanding evolution in hybrid zones is important as humans alter the ranges of wild populations.******Humans continue to modify the environment at an unprecedented rate. Most work has concentrated on understanding and mitigating our effects on biodiversity. However, it is clear that evolution can occur over ecological timescales – meaning that conservation must consider evolutionary effects of ecological change. My proposed research will address this important gap in our understanding of the effects of anthropogenic change.

测量自然界中的性选择是进化生物学的一个主要焦点，并通过多变量统计工具的发展得到了促进。 然而，这些工具的未来在于将它们纳入实验框架。 我的长期研究目标是了解环境如何影响野外交配系统的进化。 一个主要的困难是为大量的个体收集准确的适应性度量。 一个解决方案是使用系统，在该系统中，个体适应性记录在有机体的身体上。 这就是雄性Cyphoderris属昆虫交配成功的情况，交配的雌性咀嚼雄性的后翅，永久性地破坏它们。 我将使用Cyphoderris系统来实现2个短期研究目标。**短期目标1：生态因子对性选择的影响 * 相对而言，很少有人关注生态变化对野生种群的进化影响。 我已经证明了饥饿的雌性Cyphoderris比营养充足的雌性更容易交配。 这提出了性选择的强度取决于资源可用性的可能性。 Cyphoderris种群遍布不列颠哥伦比亚省的森林内陆和阿尔伯塔的西部地区-这些地区在生态和经济上都很重要。 我将衡量性选择Cyphoderris在这些地区的野生种群已暴露于不同程度的环境干扰（例如，森林采伐制度，松甲虫侵扰，火灾发生）。 进化适应对于我们理解生态干扰的范围和长期影响以及野生种群耐受环境变化的能力非常重要。短期目标2：杂交生态学和物种隔离机制的崩溃 * 杂交区长期以来一直吸引着进化生物学家，因为它们是天然的实验室，可以测试物种形成和物种边界的维持过程。 最近，我发现了C. buckelli和C. monstrosa，并且已经表明雄性在交配期间向雌性提供营养资源。 我建议使用Cyphoderris杂交带来研究物种隔离机制的进化效应。 了解杂交区的进化是重要的，因为人类改变了野生种群的范围。人类继续以前所未有的速度改变环境。 大多数工作都集中在了解和减轻我们对生物多样性的影响。 然而，很明显，进化可以发生在生态时间尺度上-这意味着保护必须考虑生态变化的进化影响。 我提议的研究将解决我们对人为变化影响的理解中的这一重要空白。