Dissertation Research: Testing for Disruptive Competition in Solitary Populations of the Three-spined Stickleback

论文研究：三刺棘鱼独居种群中破坏性竞争的测试

基本信息

批准号：
0105147
负责人：
Peter Wainwright
金额：
$ 1万
依托单位：
University of California-Davis
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
2001
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2001-06-15 至 2003-05-31
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0105147&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
Dissertation Research Testing Disruptive Competition

项目摘要

Wainwright0105147Sympatric speciation, in which a single population undergoes an evolutionary split into two co-occurring species, has been a source of controversy for 50 years. Many biologists believe species split only when populations are geographically divided. Skepticism about sympatric speciation is due to theoretical criticisms and the paucity of unambiguous examples. The idea has regained acceptance lately, due to accumulating empirical examples and supportive theoretical analyses. However, the theory relies on population dynamics that have never been soundly demonstrated in nature. The hypothesis is that competition among individuals in a population is strongest among common phenotypes, weakest for rare phenotypes, so that the average individual does poorly while unusual individuals escape competition and do relatively well. The investigators will use observational surveys to test whether such disruptive selection occurs naturally in populations of freshwater stickleback fish. They will also conduct experimental population density manipulations to test whether competition is the underlying cause. This research will test the assumptions underlying recent advances in speciation theory. It is also relevant to understanding how individuals in a population subdivide their resources, which affects both population dynamics, and how an invading species adapts to a new environment.

Wainwright0105147同域物种形成，即单个种群经历进化分裂为两个共存物种，50 年来一直是争议的根源。许多生物学家认为，只有当种群在地理上分开时，物种才会分裂。对同域物种形成的怀疑是由于理论批评和缺乏明确的例子。由于经验例子的积累和支持性的理论分析，这个想法最近重新被接受。然而，该理论依赖于从未在自然界中得到充分证明的种群动态。该假设认为，群体中个体之间的竞争在常见表型中最强，在稀有表型中最弱，因此一般个体表现不佳，而异常个体则逃避竞争并表现相对较好。研究人员将使用观察性调查来测试这种破坏性选择是否自然发生在淡水棘鱼种群中。他们还将进行实验性的人口密度操纵，以测试竞争是否是根本原因。这项研究将测试物种形成理论最新进展的假设。它还与了解种群中的个体如何细分其资源有关，这会影响种群动态以及入侵物种如何适应新环境。