Connecting genotype, phenotype, and fitness in an ecological model species

The study of large effect polymorphisms in natural systems have made important contributions to evolutionary biology. These systems have inspired the development and testing of theoretical predictions.

Here I continue in this tradition, investigating the role of trade-offs and genomic architecture in the generation of complex suites of traits in a system with a well understood ecology.

The study system is in the butterfly, Colias crocea, where a female-limited difference in color (white vs. orange) is correlated with white females developing faster, having larger lipid reserves, and a higher fecundity than orange females.

The white form is called Alba.In this project, I propose to leverage our understanding of the genetic basis of this alternative reproductive strategy and our ability to manipulate it using CRISPR / Cas9.

My goals are to identify what causes apparent allocation tradeoffs between the alternative strategies, whether a single or multiple genetic loci cause the strategies, and what determines the relative frequency of the strategies across species. Answers to these types of questions have been repeatedly called for over the past decade by leaders in the field.

Here, by integrating lab and field-based studies with state-of-the-art gene manipulations and functional genomic assays, I will directly test these challenging questions in order to advance connections between genotype, phenotype and Darwinian fitness in the wild.