This research aims to impart an evolutionary and ecological perspective on the study of a model organism, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. In this nematode, hermaphrodites--individuals with male/female reproductive organs--may reproduce alone or via fertilization from males. This research seeks to elucidate the role of males in this species and to explore general features involved in the evolution of outcrossing. In particular: what proximate and ultimate forces influence the ability of males to persist, and at what frequencies? These issues will be addressed by (1) using molecular methods to determine the frequency of males in large lab and natural populations, and (2) performing lab selection experiments to test hypotheses for the maintenance of outcrossing.
This work will provide one of the first evolutionary ecological perspectives for C. elegans. This species has been subject to intensive study from genetics (the first animal genome sequenced) and developmental biology (all cell fates are mapped between zygote and adult), but disproportionately little information is available regarding its ecology and the processes underlying the evolution of its unusual breeding system. This research will integrate multiple complementary approaches to characterize a more resonant description of ecology and evolution in this model organism, and bear on general issues in the study of evolution relating to the evolution and maintenance of outcrossing.
