CAREER: Evolution of individual identity - processes shaping shaping phenotypic and genetic diversity in animal recognition systems

Cornell University, Ithaca NY

Investigators

Abstract

As we know from human appearance, physical variation is essential for recognizing individuals. Recognition of individual appearance in animals can have consequences for choosing a mate, and consequently the trajectory of a species' evolution, as well. On the one hand, evolution is typically believed to reduce the variation of individual appearance within a species. On the other, evolution has been shown to favor individuality when it promotes recognition. This project seeks to better understand these seemingly contrasting consequences of evolution through experiments with paper wasps, insects commonly used to study the evolution of behavior. The research will focus on a paper wasp species with highly individual facial patterns, and investigates how facial variation is encoded in its genes, how it is maintained, and to what extent natural selection favoring individuality contributes to divergence of populations to create new species. This project will also promote science education through a collaboration with the Sciencenter of Ithaca, NY and the local state park system. The proposed work will study the selective and demographic processes shaping patterns of diversity in a uniquely tractable paper wasp. The color patterns of Polistes fuscatus wasps mediate individual recognition among co-nesting queens and show dramatic variation both within and between populations. Previous work has demonstrated that the color pattern diversity in P. fuscatus is the result of selection for individuals to advertise their identity and facilitate recognition. The extreme color pattern diversity, relatively simple genetic architecture of color variation, small genome size and abundant populations make these wasps ideal for addressing fundamental questions regarding the maintenance of phenotypic and genetic diversity in recognition systems. This powerful system will be used to investigate four major topics using a combination of comparative, population and functional genomics approaches coupled with detailed phenotyping of specimens: (1) What is the genetic architecture of individual identity signals? (2) How do phenotypic diversity and genetic architecture interact to determine patterns of genetic diversity? (3) What are the roles of selective and demographic forces in shaping patterns of phenotypic diversity? (4) Does selection on recognition systems lead to the maintenance of variation or rapid turnover in diversity across time and space? This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.