Experimental evolution in natural populations of guppies

进化是一个快速的过程，可以在自然种群中进行实验研究，但我们对进化作为随着时间推移而发生变化的最终原因的了解，远远超过我们对它在日常生活中如何工作的了解。这项研究将通过量化导致有机体随时间变化的不同因素，揭示进化如何发生以及为什么没有发生。研究人员正在通过将孔雀鱼从特立尼达的一条溪流中移植到四条以前没有孔雀鱼和捕食者的源头溪流中来研究进化，在那里孔雀鱼与捕食者共存，并保持着高死亡率。先前的研究表明，这种环境中较低的死亡风险会在两到十年内导致生活史(成熟度、后代数量、寿命)和其他属性(男性肤色、求偶行为、神经肌肉表现)的进化。目前的实验通过重建进化种群的谱系和量化个体在生殖成功方面的差异来扩展这项工作，从而将随时间的变化划分为非遗传(环境或母体影响)和遗传影响。该项目将涉及许多本科生和研究生的参与，并通过公共网站(cnas.ucr.edu/guppy)和特立尼达继续推广。该项目还加强了与德国科学家的国际合作。

Evolution is a rapid process that can be studied experimentally in natural populations, yet we know much more about evolution as the ultimate cause of change over time than we do about how it works on a day to day basis. This study will reveal how and why evolution does or does not happen by quantifying the different factors that can contribute to the way organisms can change over time. The investigators are studying evolution by transplanting guppies from a portion of a stream in Trinidad where guppies co-occur with predators and sustain high mortality rates, into four headwater streams that were previously guppy-free and predator free. Prior research demonstrated that the lower mortality risk in such environments causes the evolution of life histories (maturity, number of offspring produced, lifespan) and other attributes (male coloration, courtship behavior, neuromuscular performance) within two to ten years. The current experiments extend that work by reconstructing the pedigrees of the evolving populations and by quantify differences among individuals in reproductive success, thus partitioning change over time into nongenetic (environmental or maternal effects) and genetic effects.The project will involve the participation of many undergraduate and graduate students, and continued outreach through a public website (cnas.ucr.edu/guppy) and in Trinidad. The project also strengthens international collaborations with scientists in Germany.