Fluctuating Asymmetry and Developmental Stability

描述(申请人提供)：波动不对称性(FA)的较高值，即生物体左侧和右侧的特征之间的差异，与广泛的医疗条件有关，可能是因为高FA代表着非最佳的生物发育。然而，对FA的详细研究未能明确地证明FA的遗传基础。这项研究将使用人工选择和独立的发展稳定性分析来检验FA测量是否准确地代表了发展稳定性的全球属性。果蝇品系将被选为FA水平较高或较低的品系，如果FA具有遗传基础并真正代表整体发育稳定性，这些变化应该会改变果蝇的发育稳定性。然后，这些品系将通过一系列独立的发育稳定性测试进行测试，直接测试与FA相关的单一发育稳定性特征的存在。 这项研究的结果将对医学界产生重要的影响，因为使用FA来调查医疗状况的情况正在增加。提供或取消对FA使用的支持将引导研究人员努力理解哪些社会或医学因素与各种发展错误有关。此外，这项研究收集的数据将解决发展遗传学中一个更深层次的概念性问题，即是否存在这样一种特征，即全球稳定特性。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Higher values of fluctuating asymmetry (FA), differences between traits on the left and right sides of an organism, have been associated with a wide range of medical conditions, presumably because high FA represents non-optimal organismal development. Detailed studies of FA, however, have failed to unambiguously demonstrate a genetic basis of FA. This study will use artificial selection and independent developmental stability assays to test whether FA measurements accurately represent a global property of developmental stability. Drosophila lines will be selected for higher or lower levels of FA, changes that should alter the developmental stability of the flies if FA has a genetic basis and truly represents overall developmental stability. These lines will then be tested with a series of independent assays of developmental stability, directly testing for the existence of a single developmental stability trait associated with FA. The results from this study will have important ramifications for the medical community because the use of FA to investigate medical conditions is increasing. Providing or withdrawing support for the use of FA will guide researchers in their effort to understand what social or medical factors are associated with a variety of developmental errors. Additionally, the data gathered from this study will address a deeper conceptual issue in developmental genetics, whether there is such a trait as a global stability property.