DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The proximate basis of behavioral plasticity in the butterfly Bicyclus anynana

大脑发育的变化会导致成人行为的变化。这种发育变化可能是由于环境的变化，这种现象被称为表型可塑性。表型可塑性是一种普遍存在的现象，但关于其潜在分子基础的许多问题仍未得到解答。为了解决这些问题，将比较在发育过程中暴露于不同环境条件的个体大脑中的基因表达。这些实验将使用双环蝶，一种季节性塑料蝴蝶，其发育过程中的温度决定了成虫的求爱行为表型。当在温暖条件下饲养时(27？aC)，这是一种模仿野生白蛉所经历的自然雨季的昆虫，成年雄性会急切地向雌性求爱。在凉爽条件下饲养的雄性蝴蝶(17？它们模仿自然的旱季，是被动的，向雌性求爱的次数明显减少。这项研究将使用被称为RNA序列的测序技术来测量发育过程中暴露在不同温度下的蝴蝶大脑中的基因表达。这将使鉴定可能在B. anynana的大脑和行为的温度依赖性发育中发挥作用的基因成为可能。更广泛的影响：这项研究有望揭示环境是如何影响行为的。这是进化生物学家和神经科学家的一个重要目标，进化生物学家试图了解生物体如何在不断变化的环境中产生适应性行为，神经科学家试图了解行为的生理基础。因此，该项目促进了具有不同观点、技能和技术的生物学分支之间的合作。这项研究的结果将通过一个网站向公众公布，该网站将以一种没有行话的方式向高中生传达信息，还将通过在当地学校的演讲向公众公布，强调妇女在科学领域的贡献。

Changes in brain development can lead to changes in adult behavior. Such developmental alterations may be due to changes in the environment, a phenomenon known as phenotypic plasticity. Phenotypic plasticity is a ubiquitous phenomenon but many questions about its underlying molecular basis remain unanswered. To address these questions, gene expression in the brains of individuals exposed to different environmental conditions during development will be compared. The butterfly Bicyclus anynana, a seasonally plastic butterfly in which the temperature during development determines the adult courtship behavioral phenotype, will be used for these experiments. When reared under warm conditions (27?aC), that mimic the natural wet season experienced by wild B. anynana, adult males court females avidly. Male butterflies that are reared under cool conditions (17?aC), that mimic the natural dry season, are passive and court females significantly less. This study will use the sequencing technology known as RNA seq to measure gene expression in the brains of butterflies exposed to the different temperatures during development. This will enable identification of genes that may play a role in the temperature dependant development of the brain and behavior in B. anynana. Broader Impacts: This study is expected to shed new light on how the environment affects behavior. This is an important goal of both evolutionary biologists, who seek to understand how organisms produce adaptive behaviors in changing environments, and neuroscientists, who seek to understand the physiological basis of behavior. Thus, this project promotes collaboration between branches of biology with diverse perspectives, skills, and techniques. The results of this research will be made available to the general public through a website that will convey information in a jargon-free way that is accessible to high-school students, as well as through presentations at local schools that highlight the contribution of women in science.