DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Evolutionary Responses of Daphnia to Climate Change in Vernal Ponds

了解气候变化的影响是当今人类面临的最重要的挑战之一。物种将如何应对环境中的这些变化是这种理解的关键。物种有四种应对气候变化的主要方法：灭绝、范围转移、行为或非遗传变化以及进化。利用现有的在临时池塘中模拟不同气候变化情景的实验，PI将对实验池塘中的水蚤Paphnia Pulex进行分样。这些水蚤将在受控的环境中长大，并将测量各种特征，以了解它们是否经历了进化变化，或者反应是否反映了可塑性(非遗传)反应。研究结果将提供有助于理解物种如何面对快速变化的世界的数据。这项研究将探讨，面对气候变化，种群是否会通过进化适应新的环境，还是在其生理耐受范围内通过非遗传调节做出反应。这笔赠款将用于培训和指导高中生和大学本科生的实地和实验室。学生将不仅获得实际的现场和实验室技能，还将接触到各种科学学科，包括生态学、进化论、数学和计算机科学。这项工作将为物种如何应对快速变化的世界提供洞察，并将有助于培训必须应对这些全球挑战的下一代科学家。

Understanding the impacts of climate change is one of the most important challenges humans face today. How species will respond to these changes in their environment is a crucial piece of that understanding. Species have four main ways to deal with climate change: extinction, range shifts, behavioral or non-genetic changes, and evolution. Using an existing experiment which simulates different climate change scenarios in temporary ponds, the PIs will subsample experimental ponds for the water flea Daphnia pulex. These Daphnia will be raised in a controlled environment and various traits will be measured to learn if they have undergone evolutionary change or if the responses reflect a plastic (non-genetic) response. The results will provide data that will help in understanding how species are confronting a rapidly changing world. The study will address whether, in the face of climate change, populations will adapt through evolution to novel environments, or respond through non-genetic adjustments within their ranges of physiological tolerance. This grant will be used to train and mentor high school students and college undergraduates in both the field and the laboratory. Students will gain not only practical field and laboratory skills, but also exposure to a variety of scientific disciplines including ecology, evolution, mathematics, and computer science. The work will provide insight into how species are meeting a rapidly changing world and will help to train the next generation of scientists who must confront these global challenges.