Ecology and micro-evolution of coastal marine invertebrates

植物和动物在其活动范围的不同部分往往具有不同的形态、行为和生理特征。表型的这种地理差异通常与生态条件的变化相关，包括其他生物的存在和流行，并似乎赋予种群更好的利用或承受环境变化的能力。如果在不同的环境中选择不同的基因类型(即达尔文选择)，或者如果给定的基因类型对环境变化产生不同的表型(即表型可塑性)，则可能会出现这种适应性和非随机(相对于环境)的表型变异。使用理论方法，进化生物学家提出了什么条件应该有利于这些不同的进化轨迹，但做了相对较少的实证研究来验证他们的预测。我的研究计划的长期目标是开发和测试假设，以解释涉及海洋无脊椎动物的生态和进化机制和物种间相互作用的后果。我未来5年的目标之一是阐明潮间带钉螺表型地理变异的机制(达尔文适应、表型可塑性、反应规范的进化)和制约因素(基因流、遗传和发育相关性)，强调欧洲青蟹对这种变异的潜在贡献。我的第二个短期目标是评估这种外来物种对一种具有生态和经济重要性的海洋无脊椎动物--美国龙虾Homarus americanus的潜在影响。特别是，我建议评估在龙虾苗圃中，玛纳鱼和美洲钩吻线虫幼体之间竞争和捕食相互作用的潜力和结果。

Plants and animals often have different morphological, behavioural and physiological traits in different parts of their range. This geographic variation in phenotype is often correlated with variation in ecological conditions, including presence and prevalence of other organisms, and appears to confer populations with improved capacity to exploit or withstand environmental variability. Such adaptive and non-random (with respect to environment) phenotypic variation may arise if different genotypes are selected in different environments (i.e., Darwinian selection), or if given genotypes produce different phenotypes in response to environmental variation (i.e., phenotypic plasticity). Using theoretical approaches, evolutionary biologists have asked what conditions should favour these different evolutionary trajectories, but relatively little empirical research has been done to test their predictions.The long-term goal of my research program is to develop and test hypotheses to explain ecological and evolutionary mechanisms and consequences of inter-specific interactions involving marine invertebrates. One of my goals over the next 5 years is to elucidate the mechanisms (Darwinian adaptation, phenotypic plasticity, evolution of reaction norms) and constraints (gene flow, genetic and developmental correlations) underlying geographic variation in phenotype of the intertidal snail Littorina obtusata, emphasizing potential contribution of the European green crab Carcinus maenas to this variation. My second short-term goal is to assess the potential impact of this exotic species on an ecologically and economically important marine invertebrate, the American lobster Homarus americanus. In particular, I propose to assess the potential for, and outcome of, competitive and predatory interaction between C. maenas and juvenile H. americanus on lobster nursery grounds.