LiT - Ecology and evolution of adaptive responses to rapid global change

外来物种的引入对全球生物多样性构成越来越大的威胁。本地物种能够以前所未有的速度对环境变化做出反应。如果我们要了解影响社区结构的基本过程，并评估当地人口对全球变化的适应能力，那么将进化观点纳入其中是至关重要的。入侵火蚁和本土蜥蜴为这类研究提供了很好的模型。在火蚁入侵后，蜥蜴发展出新的防御行为，使它们能够在这些全球入侵的蚂蚁的攻击中幸存下来。生态学和进化方法将在野外和实验室中应用，量化加性遗传变异和表型可塑性对这种适应性防御行为发展的相对贡献，并阐明进化过程在自然群落的组装和动态中的作用。本研究调查了当地社区如何应对快速的环境变化，并提供了关于全球关注的入侵物种火蚁的长期影响的关键信息。这项研究将为研究生和少数民族本科生提供培训机会，并将直接涉及来自少数民族服务机构的K-12学生。当地社区将通过展示和展示这项研究的结果来参与进来。

The introduction of non-native species poses a growing threat to global biodiversity. Native species can respond to environmental change at previously unimagined rates. It is critical that we incorporate evolutionary perspectives if we are to understand fundamental processes affecting community structure as well as assess the resilience of native populations to global change. Invasive fire ants and native lizards provide an excellent model for such research. Following fire ant invasion, the lizards develop novel defensive behavior that permits them to survive attack by these globally invasive ants. Ecological and evolutionary approaches will be employed in the field and laboratory to quantify the relative contributions of additive genetic variation and phenotypic plasticity to the development of this adaptive defensive behavior, and shed light on the role of evolutionary processes in the assembly and dynamics of natural communities. This research investigates how native communities respond to rapid environmental change, and provides critical information on the long-term impact of fire ants, an invasive species of global concern. The study will provide training opportunities for graduate and minority undergraduate students, and will directly involve K-12 students from minority-serving institutions. The local community will be engaged through displays and presentations of the results of this research.