Dissertation Research: The Scale of Predator-Prey Interactions: Gene Flow and the Geographic Mosaic

Brodie Coevolution是两个参与者相互影响对方性状进化的过程。 通常，共同进化被认为是发生在不同物种之间的过程。 共同进化的地理镶嵌理论预测，共同进化的相互作用会因地理位置而异。 此外，该理论指出，差异影响个体区域遗传组成的过程（例如迁移，灭绝，进化）将在全球和局部共同进化相互作用的结果中发挥作用。 目前的研究将测试种群之间的迁移如何影响不同地理尺度上捕食者-猎物共同进化相互作用的动态。 该项目的目标物种是有毒的蝾螈Taricha granulosa和它的抗性束带蛇捕食者Thamnophis sirtalis。 将收集有关蝾螈毒性和束带蛇抗性的数据，以评估种群中共同进化相互作用的强度。 将收集组织样本进行遗传分析，以估计种群之间的迁移。这项研究将测试捕食者-猎物系统中共同进化的地理镶嵌理论，从而更好地了解共同进化的相互作用。 了解物种如何相互作用对于理解生态系统和保护生态系统都很重要。 动物在种群之间的迁移在种群的平衡和持久性方面发挥着关键作用。 该项目对将圈养繁殖的动物释放到自然种群（模拟大规模迁移）具有影响。 此外，河豚毒素（在Taricha中发现的毒素）被广泛用于神经生物学中作为钠通道阻滞剂。 研究束带蛇的抵抗力揭示了自然钠通道的变化和神经系统的功能。

0104995Brodie Coevolution is the process by which two participants reciprocally affect the evolution of traits in each other. Typically, coevolution is considered to be a process that occurs between different species. The geographic mosaic theory of coevolution predicts that coevolutionary interactions will vary across geographic locales. Furthermore, this theory states that processes that differentially affect the genetic makeup of individual locales (e.g. migration, extinction, recolonization) will play a role in the outcome of the coevolutionary interaction globally and locally. The current research will test how migration between populations affects the dynamics of a predator-prey coevolutionary interaction on different geographic scales. The target species for the project are the toxic newt Taricha granulosa and its resistant garter snake predator Thamnophis sirtalis. Data on toxicity in newts and resistance in garter snakes will be collected to evaluate the strength of the coevolutionary interaction in populations. Tissue samples will be collected for genetic analyses that will estimate migration between populations.This research will test the geographic mosaic theory of coevolution in a predator-prey system, thereby giving a better understanding of coevolutionary interactions. Understanding how species interact is important to the understanding of ecosystems and important to the conservation of ecosystems. Migration of animals between populations can play a critical role in the balance and persistence of populations. This project has implications for the release of captive bred animals into natural populations (simulating large scale migration). Additionally, tetrodotoxin (the toxin found in Taricha) is widely used in neurobiology as a sodium channel blocker. Studying garter snake resistance sheds light on natural sodium channel variation and function in the nervous system.