Parallel evolution of phenotypic plasticity in a life history trait

Understanding the evolutionary causes of adaptive divergence is a fundamental goal in evolutionary biology as it provides important insights into how biodiversity is generated and maintained.

One important mechanism for adaptation is phenotypic plasticity (Chevin et al. 2010) and this is frequently observed in all species, from plants, insects to animals (Westneat et al. 2019).

While repeated adaptation in different populations or species in response to similar environments is sometimes observed (parallel evolution), how parallel evolution takes place on the genomic level is poorly understood (Soria-Carrasco et al. 2014, Morales et al. 2019).

Here I will characterise parallel evolution in an important life history trait at the developmental, transcriptomic and functional level (using RNAi).

This research will combine insights from these approaches to advance our knowledge of a topic of broad significance in evolutionary biology: the molecular basis of parallel evolution in phenotypic plasticity.Specific objectivesParallel developmental evolution - Experimentally test phenotypic plasticity in wing polyphenism across development in a comparative frameworkRegulatory factors underlying parallel evolution - Use a comparative transcriptomic approach to identify the genes or gene networks involved in plasticity in wing polyphenismFunctional validation of genes involved in parallel evolution - Characterize loci identified inthe comparative transcriptomic approach using RNAi.