Fluctuating Asymmetry and Developmental Stability

描述（由申请人提供）：波动不对称（FA）的较高值，生物体左侧和右侧性状之间的差异，与广泛的医学状况有关，可能是因为高FA代表非最佳生物体发育。然而，对FA的详细研究未能明确地证明FA的遗传基础。本研究将使用人工选择和独立的发育稳定性试验，以检测FA测量值是否准确代表发育稳定性的整体特性。果蝇品系将选择较高或较低水平的FA，如果FA具有遗传基础并真正代表整体发育稳定性，则这些变化应改变果蝇的发育稳定性。然后，将使用一系列独立的发育稳定性试验对这些品系进行检测，直接检测是否存在与FA相关的单一发育稳定性性状。 这项研究的结果将对医学界产生重要的影响，因为使用FA来调查医疗条件正在增加。提供或撤回对使用FA的支持将指导研究人员努力了解哪些社会或医学因素与各种发育错误相关。此外，从这项研究中收集的数据将解决发育遗传学中更深层次的概念问题，即是否存在全局稳定性这样的性状。

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.