DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Local adaptation of the integrated phenotype: can life history and physiology mediate behavioral evolution?

University Of Alabama Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa AL

Investigators

Abstract

Organismal form and function arises through complex interactions among traits ranging from growth and reproduction to behavioral and hormonal responses to environmental stimuli. In this time of global climate change and unprecedented ecosystem disturbance, accurately predicting how organisms respond over the long-term to environmental change is essential. The degree to which traits are integrated, how strongly they covary, ultimately dictates a population's response to environmental pressures. The investigators capitalize on the reproductive system of mangrove rivulus, a fish that inhabits imperiled mangrove ecosystems and is capable of producing offspring genetically identical to the parent and all siblings, to determine with exceptional resolution how life history (e.g., growth, reproduction), behavioral (e.g., aggression, risk-taking), and morphological (e.g., shape, size) traits covary at the phenotypic and genetic levels. They expect differences among populations in the composition and interconnectedness of trait networks, which would provide evidence that the physical, community, and social environments exert strong influences on trait integration. The investigators also seek to understand the mechanisms underlying trait integration. Steroids like the androgen testosterone and the stress hormone cortisol influence the expression of multiple traits simultaneously. Thus, the investigators expect to uncover linkages between hormone profiles and patterns of trait integration. This study combines an integral knowledge of the mangrove rivulus' genetics with behavioral, ecological, and physiological techniques, to explore central questions in biology, how are complex phenotypes organized and how can we predict phenotypic responses to environmental change? By studying organisms as integrated wholes we can derive more accurate predictions about how ecosystem disturbances impact native flora and fauna. The investigators will participate in outreach activities to educate the public about mangrove ecosystem inhabitants, threats to the ecosystem, and how knowledge gained from basic biological exploration can transform our everyday activities and drive positive changes at the individual, community, and national levels. Data will be maintained and available at (http://datadryad.org).