Female reproductive and behavioural plasticity in response to socio-sexual environment

表型可塑性是生物体响应其生物和/或非生物环境中的线索而改变其发育、生理和/或行为的能力。这种现象通常被认为是适应性的，如果它导致个人采取适应性最大化的策略，这是更适合当地条件相比，固定的策略。表型可塑性可以包括受自然选择影响的性状，以及受性选择影响的初级和次级生殖性状。迄今为止，生殖可塑性的研究主要围绕着可塑性对雄性生殖性状的原因、限制和后果，对雌性的关注较少。然而，有无数的方式，女性行为表型可能会表现出可塑性（可能适应性），以响应他们的物理和/或社会环境。这项建议的重点是研究表现型可塑性的女性所做的决定，以及对自己的后果，他们的配偶，他们的后代，和整个人口。将利用果蝇种群进行研究，这是研究雄性生殖表型可塑性的一个有价值的模型，也越来越多地用于了解决策的演变。在我们的人群中，生殖成功可以被有意义地量化，生物和/或非生物环境可以被有效地操纵。许多强大的遗传工具可以用来梳理除了参与介导表型可塑性反应的因素。计划中的研究将建立在我的团队以前的发现基础上，并使用我们开发的工具/技术以新颖的方式测量表型可塑性。我们将在竞争性和非竞争性环境中以及在我们操纵了个体个人历史的环境中测量雌性的偏好（对配偶，产卵地点）。我们将研究其社会群体的组成/质量的影响，并进行后代生产和健身的后续分析。我们还将利用D。黑腹果蝇细胞遗传克隆系统，使我们能够分离、复制和繁殖~整个单倍体基因组，并在随机的“半克隆”遗传背景中表达它们。通过创建众多的克隆线，并生产半克隆“按需”，我们将能够探索和量化的遗传变异的程度，目前的性状，表达表型可塑性。我们将能够比较来自不同品系的半克隆的表型，以及来自在不同条件下发育或经历不同生物/非生物环境的每个品系的表型。这项研究将为HQP提供发展他们科学技能的机会，并将有助于填补我们领域关于雌性果蝇对环境变化做出可塑性反应的潜力的理解的重要缺失部分。

Phenotypic plasticity is the ability of organisms to alter their development, physiology and/or behaviour in response to cues in their biotic and/or abiotic environment. This phenomenon is generally thought to be adaptive if it leads to individuals adopting a fitness-maximizing strategy that is better suited to local conditions compared to a fixed strategy. Phenotypic plasticity can involve traits subject to natural selection, as well as primary and secondary reproductive traits subject to sexual selection. To date, the study of reproductive plasticity has largely revolved around the causes, limitations, and consequences of plasticity to male reproductive traits, with less attention directed towards females. However, there are countless ways in which female behavioural phenotypes may exhibit plasticity (possibly adaptively) in response to their physical and/or social environments. This proposal focuses on examining the expression of phenotypic plasticity in decisions made by females, and the consequences to themselves, their mates, their offspring, and the population in general. Studies will be conducted using populations of fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster), a valuable model for the study of reproductive phenotypic plasticity in males, which is also increasingly being used to understand the evolution of decision making. In our populations, reproductive success can be meaningfully quantified, and biotic and/or abiotic environments can be effectively manipulated. Many powerful genetic tools can be used to tease apart the factors involved in mediating phenotypically plastic responses. Planned studies will build on my group's previous discoveries and use tools/techniques we have developed to measure phenotypic plasticity in novel ways. We will measure female preferences (for mates, for oviposition sites) in competitive and non-competitive environments and in environments where we have manipulated the individuals' personal histories. We will examine the impact of the composition/qualities of their social group, and conduct follow up assays of offspring production and fitness. We will also make use of the D. melanogaster cytogentic cloning system that allows us to isolate, replicate, and propagate ~whole haploid genomes, and express them in a random "hemiclonal" genetic backgrounds. By creating numerous clone lines, and producing hemi-clones `on demand', we will be able to explore and quantify the extent of genetic variation present for traits that express phenotypic plasticity. We will be able to compare the phenotypes of hemiclones from different lines, and the phenotypes from each line developing under different conditions, or experiencing different biotic/abiotic environments. This research will provide HQP with the opportunity to develop their scientific skills, and will help fill in important missing pieces of our field's understanding regarding the potential for female Drosophila to respond plastically to environmental variation.