Biologists have long sought to understand the evolution of complexity in organisms. Individuals are comprised of many diverse traits that can affect survival and reproduction; these traits are often correlated with one another, a concept known as phenotypic integration. The extent to which these trait correlations also affect whole-organism fitness, whether they bias the direction of evolutionary change, and how they evolve in the wild remain poorly understood. These questions will be investigated in the Bahamas mosquitofish (Gambusia hubbsi) inhabiting inland blue holes across Andros Island, The Bahamas. These populations have been isolated in the presence or absence of predatory fish for thousands of years. Specifically, this work seeks to understand whether livebearing fish populations have independently and repeatedly evolved similar trait correlation networks as a response to similar natural selection, or whether trait associations are relatively immutable and constrain evolutionary change.
Understanding how biological complexity, such as correlated trait networks, is generated and maintained represents a central goal of evolutionary biology; this work will shed light on the conditions propelling or prohibiting evolution of organismal diversity. Public outreach associated with this research includes (1) interactive lessons on evolution for middle and high school students on Andros Island involving students with research data collection, (2) an art exhibit showcasing the process of conducting evolutionary research and the ideas inspiring it, and (3) research experience for diverse undergraduate students. Further, data collected for this work will be freely available online for research and educational purposes.
