Organisms experience variable environments in both space and time. Variation in factors like temperature and toxic compounds can cause natural selection that results in adaptation to local conditions. At the mechanistic level, these adaptations involve changes in physiological and cellular processes in response to the environment. This research will use techniques from molecular biology, analytical chemistry, genetics and physiology to evaluate the impact of environmental temperature on cell membranes, and of environmental toxicity (e.g., ethanol) on the activities of three enzymes in the ethanol detoxification pathway. Specifically, the research aims to test the prediction that variable temperature environments favor the evolution of cell membrane remodeling, and that efficient detoxification of ethanol depends on interactions between the three enzymes in this pathway. These data will then be used to construct new evolutionary models that help predict the responses of organisms to changing environments.
This project will provide opportunities for undergraduate students from groups underrepresented in the sciences to participate in the research. Outreach to elementary school children at a disadvantaged school, where only 70% passed the state proficiency test for science, will increase scientific literacy. The co-PI collaborates with the local elementary school teachers, providing experiences for the students in basic science and teaching the process of scientific inquiry. Projects will be developed enabling teachers to improve science education at their school. Because this research evaluates the evolution of organismal responses to changing temperatures, the results will also enable the PI and co-PI to provide a better understanding of how organisms respond and adapt to changing environments. Further, the populations of flies collected and constructed will be made available to the scientific community.
