Ecologically-informed Evolutionary Developmental Biology in Threespine Stickleback

尽管随着时间的推移，选择倾向于减少变异，但种群是如何保持产生表型变异的能力的？我的研究计划的长期目标是研究表型变异是如何产生的，并为选择所维持，从而导致物种内部的适应性变化。表型变异的特点是由遗传信息、发育过程和环境因素这三个主要生物学领域的相互作用造成的。虽然每个域的范围都非常大，但本建议的重点是理解域之间的相互作用空间，作为阐明每个域对变异产生的相对贡献的一种手段。我提出了三个目标，旨在测试表型变异的三个关键来源如何相互作用以促进适应性变化：性别二态性、表型可塑性和祖先。三刺棘鱼（Gasterosteus aculeatus）是测试探索这些现象的理想生物，因为它具有快速殖民新栖息地的能力和与殖民事件相关的平行进化变化的倾向，以及它在野外的易于研究和在实验室的可追溯性。我的实验室是最早将高通量定量表型和基因组学技术应用于自然种群的实验室之一。我利用班菲尔德海洋科学中心（BMSC）提供的世界一流的设施和培训合作，为HQP提供一个独特的环境，让他们在培训期间共同发展现场和工作台技能。我们的几个实地站点位于正在进行大量自然资源开发和扩张的地区，这些地区可能对当地动植物造成重大的负面影响。此外，一些地点位于Huu-ay-aht第一民族的传统领土上或邻近，因此提供了一个独特的合作机会，可以更好地了解这些地方的历史以及资源开发对动物栖息地和当地人口的影响。我的HQP将取得重大的科学发现，同时利用无与伦比的专业发展和指导机会，因为他们开发了新的知识，并提出了关于自然系统变化的本质及其在面对环境不稳定性时产生的复杂问题。

How do populations retain the ability to produce phenotypic variation, despite the tendency for selection to reduce variation over time? The long-term objective of my research program is to investigate the means by which phenotypic variation becomes available and is maintained for selection to act upon, resulting in adaptive change within species. Phenotypic variation is characterized as resulting from the interaction of three major biological domains: genetic information, developmental processes, and environmental factors. Although each domain is very large in scope, the present proposal focuses on understanding the interaction spaces between domains as a means of elucidating the relative contributions of each domain to the production of variation. I propose three Objectives designed to test how three key sources of phenotypic variation interact to facilitate adaptive change: sexual dimorphism, phenotypic plasticity, and ancestry. The threespine stickleback fish (Gasterosteus aculeatus) is an ideal organism in which to test explore these phenomena, due to its capacity for rapid colonization of new habitats and propensity for parallel evolutionary change related to colonization events, as well as its ease of study in the wild and tractability in the laboratory. My laboratory is among the first to apply high-throughput quantitative phenotyping and genomics techniques to natural populations. I leverage world-class facilities and training collaborations facilitated by the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre (BMSC) to provide a unique environment for HQP to develop field and bench skills in concert during their training. Several of our field sites are located in areas undergoing substantial natural resource development and expansion that threatens substantial, likely negative, impact on local flora and fauna. Further, several sites are on or adjacent to the traditional territories of the Huu-ay-aht First Nation, and therefore present a unique opportunity for collaboration to better understand the history of these localities and the impacts of resource development on both animal habitat and local human populations. My HQP will make substantial scientific discoveries while taking advantage of unparalleled opportunities for professional development and mentorship as they develop new knowledge and ask complex questions about the nature of variation in natural systems and its production in the face of environmental lability.