REU: Radular Variability in the Herbivorous Gastropods Lacuna

拉库纳属是一种食草性腹足类动物，利用它的齿根(一种带状结构，上面覆盖着不同形状的“牙齿”)来刮取藻类。该属在放射状牙齿中表现出不寻常的形态变异性，Dianna Padilla博士建议进行一项探索性研究项目，旨在确定这种变异性的原因。在为期一年的研究计划中，帕迪拉博士将使用酶电泳法建立物种身份和进化关系。使用不同食物类型的受控生长实验将揭示幼鸟体内放射状形态变化的程度，以及食物的物理性质产生不同放射状变化的程度。这项拟议的研究将在发展和进化生物学家、系统主义者和生态学家中找到广泛的受众。形态变异的各种可能来源是不同研究领域的因素，但只有像帕迪利亚博士这样的少数几项研究真正评估了它们的相对贡献。

The genus Lacuna is an herbivorous gastropod that uses its radula (a ribbon-like structure covered with variably-shaped "teeth") to scrape algae. This genus displays an unusual level of morphological variability in radular teeth, and Dr. Dianna Padilla proposes an exploratory research project aimed at establishing the causes of this variability. During a year of research planning, Dr. Padilla will use enzyme electrophoresis to establish species identities and evolutionary relationships. Controlled growth experiments using different food types will reveal the degree to which radular morphology varies within a brood, and the degree to which the physical nature of food items produces different radular variations. The proposed research will find a wide audience among developmental and evolutionary biologists, systematists, and ecologists. The various possible sources of morphological variation are factors in diverse research areas, but only a few studies such as Dr. Padilla's actually assess their relative contributions.