Evolutionary ecology of organisms with strong phenotypic plasticity

自然界中快速进化的例子表明，进化动态发生在与生态相关的时间尺度上。进化(如选择和重组)和生态(如竞争和捕食)过程之间的反馈被预测为强烈影响生物动力学，最近的实验表明它可以在实验室产生独特的动力学。然而，大多数研究没有考虑生命史中的表型可塑性，这是自然界中几乎所有生物体的特征。使用淡水捕食者-猎物系统，我的研究表明，生活史的可塑性产生了截然不同的捕食者-猎物循环类型。这些循环导致捕食者基因类型的选择率不同，但与理论预测的方向相反。因此，我们的工作表明，反馈可能在具有强烈表型可塑性的生物体中以不同的方式运作。在接下来的五年里，我将使用淡水浮游动物来研究生态进化反馈对生物动力学的影响。我的研究将实验进化论和生态学与数学建模相结合，同时使用基于实验室的微观世界和基于田间的中观实验。为了将反馈分解为一系列可检验的假设，实验将使用：1)单基因种群，研究种群动态和特定基因特定的能量收支之间的相互作用；2)多基因种群无性繁殖，测试反馈如何在不同的食物网中运行；以及3)多基因种群有性繁殖，测试重组对群落动态和遗传多样性的影响。这些项目将构成3M.Sc的基础。论文2篇，博士论文2篇，本科论文6篇。我的研究计划的核心是建模，它使分离负责动态的机制成为可能，并在反馈的每个阶段生成可测试的预测。模型开发和假设检验之间的迭代将导致对自然界中负责产生和维持遗传多样性的机制以及它们如何影响生物模式的更深入的理解。

Examples of rapid evolution in nature reveal that evolutionary dynamics occur over ecologically-relevant time-scales. The feedback between evolutionary (e.g., selection & recombination) and ecological (e.g., competition & predation) processes is predicted to strongly influence biological dynamics, and recent experiments demonstrate that it can generate unique dynamics in the laboratory. Most research, however, does not consider the phenotypic plasticity in life-history that characterizes almost all organisms in nature. Using a freshwater predator-prey system, my research demonstrates that life-history plasticity generates contrasting types of predator-prey cycles. These cycles cause different rates of selection among predator genotypes, but in the opposite direction predicted by theory. As a result, our work suggests that the feedback may operate differently in organisms with strong phenotypic plasticity. Over the next five years, I will use freshwater zooplankton to study the influence of eco-evolutionary feedbacks on biological dynamics. My research combines experimental evolution and ecology with mathematical modeling, and uses both lab-based microcosm and field-based mesocosm experiments. To decompose the feedback into a series of testable hypotheses, experiments will use: 1) single genotype populations, which study the interaction between population dynamics and genotype-specific energy-budgets; 2) multiple genotype populations with asexual reproduction, which test how the feedback operates in different food webs; and 3) multiple genotype populations with sexual reproduction, which test the impact of recombination on community dynamics and genetic diversity. These projects will form the basis of 3 M.Sc. theses, 2 Ph.D. theses, and 6 undergraduate theses. Core to my research program is modeling, which makes it possible to isolate the mechanisms responsible for dynamics, and generate testable predictions at each stage of the feedback. Iteration between model development and hypothesis testing will lead to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms responsible for generating and maintaining genetic diversity in nature, and how they influence biological patterns.