DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Maintaining Androdioecy via Metapopulation Dynamics inthe Clam Shrimp Eulimnadia Feriensis

对虾是生活在世界各地临时淡水栖息地的小型甲壳类动物。文蛤的一个属，Eulimnadia，是雌雄异株的。这是一种交配系统，在没有真正雌性的种群中，自相容的两性和雄性一起出现。这是一种极其罕见的交配系统，只有60种动植物展示了这种交配系统，大多数理论认为这种交配系统不应该持续很长时间。然而，在欧利姆纳迪亚，有证据表明，至少在1.8亿年前，这一直是一个成功的战略。最近提出了一个集合种群模型(即种群定植和灭绝动态驱动的模型)，该模型可以解释这些虾的雄雄异株现象的长期存在。目前的研究将在西澳大利亚各地花岗岩露头的临时池塘中对这一模型进行实证检验，使用遗传标记来测量池塘和花岗岩露头之间的迁移率。该项目将是维持雄雄异株的集合种群模型的首批检验之一。收集的数据将极大地加深我们对通过分性生殖(雌雄同体)和两性生殖的益处的理解。这个多维度的研究项目将形成国际合作，并涉及本科生。所产生的结果将在重要出版物上广泛提供，生物地理数据将纳入可在万维网上查阅的谷歌地球数据库。

Clam shrimp are small crustaceans that live in temporary freshwater habitats throughout the world. One genus of clam shrimp, Eulimnadia, is androdioecious. This is a mating system in which self-compatible hermaphrodites and males occur together in populations with no true females. This is an exceptionally rare mating system with only 60 species of plants and animals exhibiting it, and most theory suggests it should not be long-lived. Yet in Eulimnadia, evidence suggests it has been a successful strategy for at least 180 million years. A recent metapopulation model (i.e., one driven by population colonization and extinction dynamics) has been proposed that could explain the long-term persistence of androdioecy in these shrimp. The current study will empirically test this model in Eulimnadia feriensis, a species distributed in temporary pools atop granite outcrops throughout Western Australia, using genetic markers to measure migration rates among pools and granite outcrops.This project will be one of the first examinations of the metapopulation model for the maintenance of androdioecy. The data collected will greatly further our understanding of the benefits of reproduction via separate sexes (dioecy) versus hermaphroditism. This multi-dimensional research project will form international collaborations and involve undergraduate students. The results generated will be made widely available in high-profile publications and biogeographic data will be included in a Google Earth database accessible on the worldwide web.