The role of niche construction and evolutionary capacitance for evolvability in the red flour beetle (C01)

项目C01调查了生态位构建活动中的个体差异如何对个性化的生态位做出贡献。该项目专门研究了个体免疫经验如何影响群居生活的红粉甲虫的生态位构建，这种甲虫通过恶臭腺体分泌来构建生态位。通过实验进化，该项目测试了通过HSP90进行的生态位构建和进化容量是否影响进化能力。我们将专注于通过信息化学物质交流个人经验，在正常和受损的生态位构建下适应的(EPI)遗传基础，以及HSP90在适应时间生态位方面的作用。

Project C01 investigates how individual differences in niche construction activity contribute to the individualised niche. The project specifically addresses how individual immune experience influences niche construction in the gregariously living red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, which constructs its niche via stink gland secretions. Using experimental evolution, the project tests whether niche construction in concert with evolutionary capacitance via HSP90 influences evolvability. We will focus on the communication of individual experience via infochemicals, the (epi)genetic underpinnings of adaptation under normal vs. impaired niche construction, and the role of HSP90 for adaptation to temporal niches.