FIBR: From Genes to Ecosystems: How Do Ecological and Evolutionary Processes Interact in Nature?

传统上认为，生态决定了生物体的进化方式，但物种内部的进化变化太慢，无法影响生态。然而，最近的研究表明，进化可以是快速的，可能快到足以形成生态相互作用。这个项目将是第一个在自然环境中实验评估进化和生态之间反馈的项目。重点生态系统是特立尼达的溪流，那里居住着孔雀鱼，因为这些鱼的快速进化已经被记录下来。孔雀鱼将从与许多捕食者共存的地方引入到只存在一种捕食者的河流，然后评估由此产生的生态和共同进化的相互作用。河豚捕食孔雀鱼，但孔雀鱼也捕食河豚，两种鱼类相互竞争。本项目将：1)评估孔雀鱼和孔雀鱼的种群动态、资源利用和进化；2)量化孔雀鱼和孔雀鱼对河流生态系统的影响；3)建立生态与进化动力学联系的新理论。在自然溪流和人工河道中进行的额外实验将确定因果关系。方法包括分子遗传学、标记再捕获和实验室研究来评估孔雀鱼和河类的进化，以及生态系统研究来量化溪流的结构和功能如何随着引入孔雀鱼的进化而变化。这项研究将发展一个可适用于任何生态系统的概念框架，并与保护生物学和被剥削种群的管理有关。例如，商业捕鱼往往导致比前几代更小、更年轻的鱼。这个问题的研究主要没有考虑到进化的影响，然而进化过程可能在起作用。将进化论和生态进化的相互作用结合起来，将使我们更好地理解和解决这些问题。该奖项还将支持数十名本科生的培训，包括来自少数民族院校的访问实习生，以及至少7名研究生和5名博士后。这是一个高度协作、跨学科、多机构的项目，由加州大学河滨分校的David Reznick领导，包括以下奖项：科罗拉多州立大学（Cameron Ghalambor）、康奈尔大学（Alex Flecker）、佛罗里达州立大学（Joseph Travis）、北卡罗来纳州立大学（Jim Gilliam）、佐治亚大学（Catherine Pringle）、缅因大学（Michael Kinnison）、西耶纳学院（Douglas Fraser）、迈阿密大学（Don deAngelis）、亚利桑那大学（Regis Ferriere）和内布拉斯加州大学（Steve Thomas）

It is traditionally assumed that ecology shapes how organisms evolve but that evolutionary change within a species is too slow to affect ecology. However, it has recently been shown that evolution can be rapid, possibly rapid enough to shape ecological interactions. This project will be the first to experimentally evaluate the feedback between evolution and ecology in a natural setting. The focal ecosystem is streams in Trinidad inhabited by guppies, since rapid evolution has already been documented in these fish. Guppies will be introduced from sites where they co-occur with many predators to streams where only one predator, Rivulus, exists, then evaluate ecological and co-evolutionary interactions that result. Rivulus prey on guppies, but guppies also prey on Rivulus and the two fish species compete. This project will: 1) evaluate population dynamics, resource utilization, and evolution of Rivulus and the guppies, 2) quantify impacts of guppies and Rivulus on the stream ecosystem and 3) develop new theory to link ecological and evolutionary dynamics. Additional experiments in natural streams and artificial channels will define the cause/effect relationships. Methods include molecular genetic, mark-recapture, and laboratory studies to assess the evolution of guppies and Rivulus, and ecosystem studies to quantify how the structure and function of streams changes in concert with evolution of introduced guppies. This research will develop a conceptual framework that can be applied to any ecosystem and is relevant to conservation biology and the management of exploited populations. For example, commercial fishing often results in fish which are smaller and younger than previous generations. This problem has been studied primarily without regard to the impact of evolution, yet evolutionary processes may be at work. Incorporating evolution and eco-evolutionary interactions will enable us to better understand and solve such problems. This award will also support training for dozens of undergraduates, including visiting interns from minority institutions, plus at least seven graduate and five post-doctoral students. This is a highly collaborative, interdisciplinary, multi-institutional project led by David Reznick at the University of California-Riverside and including sub-awards to: Colorado State (Cameron Ghalambor), Cornell University (Alex Flecker), Florida State University (Joseph Travis), North Carolina State University (Jim Gilliam), University of Georgia (Catherine Pringle), University of Maine ( Michael Kinnison), Sienna College (Douglas Fraser), University of Miami (Don deAngelis), University of Arizona (Regis Ferriere), and University of Nebraska (Steve Thomas)