Demographic consequence as by-product effects of microevolution

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26650154
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Ecology/Environment
• Research Institution: Chiba University (2016); Tohoku University (2014-2015)
• Principal Investigator: Takahashi Yuma 千葉大学, 大学院理学研究科, 特任助教 (00707622)
• Research Collaborator: NAGATA Nobuaki 独立行政法人国立科学博物館, 標本資料センター, 特定研究員
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 多様性 / 個性 / 人口動態

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The evolution of genetic diversity within a population improves population-level fitness and productivity, but the existence of these effects is controversial. In the present study, in order to reveal the by-product effects of the microevolution of genetic polymorphism on ecological dynamics and macroevolution, we carried out species comparison and laboratory experiments. The species comparisons suggest that species with colour polymorphisms show wider distribution range and lower extinction risk than monomorphic species. The patterns were found in insects, birds, mammal, reptiles, amphibians and fishes. Laboratory experiments using a behavioral polymorphism in Drosophila melanogaster indicates the productivity of a polymorphic population would be higher than the average fitness of monomorphic populations, but only under balancing selection. These results provide direct evidence for an effect of genetic diversity on population fitness and the condition dependence.

Free Research Field

進化生態学