Major
Biology
Anticipated Graduation Year
2022
Access Type
Open Access
Abstract
Populations that live along an environmental gradient (i.e., location of gradual change in environmental factors over space) will adapt to local conditions, thereby creating a trait gradient; also called a cline. We replicated a study by Vines et al. (2016) in Bonsall Creek which studied how five traits evolved along the gradient (i.e., the shape and position of their clines). We found that two of the five traits showed consistent patterns across time; armor traits that experienced loss. The temporal instability in non-armor traits suggests that the environmental conditions that generate selection for those traits are more variable through time.
Faculty Mentors & Instructors
Dr. Yoel Stuart, Professor Department of Biology; Franklin Joaquin, Graduate Student Department of Biology
Supported By
National Science Foundation
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Temporal Stability in a Marine-Freshwater Stickleback Cline
Populations that live along an environmental gradient (i.e., location of gradual change in environmental factors over space) will adapt to local conditions, thereby creating a trait gradient; also called a cline. We replicated a study by Vines et al. (2016) in Bonsall Creek which studied how five traits evolved along the gradient (i.e., the shape and position of their clines). We found that two of the five traits showed consistent patterns across time; armor traits that experienced loss. The temporal instability in non-armor traits suggests that the environmental conditions that generate selection for those traits are more variable through time.