Abstract Title
Quantification of Selection From Visual Predators on Galápagos Endemic Land Snails
Additional Funding Sources
The project described was supported by the Research Experience for Undergraduates Program Site: Molecular and organismal evolution at the University of Idaho under Award No. 1757826, a student grant from the UI Office of Undergraduate Research, a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award to sponsoring mentor through the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1751157, and by a student grant from the College of Science at the University of Idaho.
Abstract
The Galápagos Islands have been a model for studying evolutionary processes, in part due to their isolation and the ability to track evolutionary change over time. With over seventy species currently recognized, the endemic land snails of the Galápagos Islands pertaining to the genus Naesiotus arguably form one of the most spectacular examples of adaptive radiation of these islands. One of the most diverse traits that has researchers both puzzled and amazed is the broad range of shell coloration of these snails. Preliminary research has suggested that this morphological diversity may be a response to selection from visual predators. In this study, we expand this preliminary work and (1) test whether selection from visual predators is common across islands, and (2) determine what factors are contributing to the variation in the strength of selection in different habitats and islands across the archipelago.
Quantification of Selection From Visual Predators on Galápagos Endemic Land Snails
The Galápagos Islands have been a model for studying evolutionary processes, in part due to their isolation and the ability to track evolutionary change over time. With over seventy species currently recognized, the endemic land snails of the Galápagos Islands pertaining to the genus Naesiotus arguably form one of the most spectacular examples of adaptive radiation of these islands. One of the most diverse traits that has researchers both puzzled and amazed is the broad range of shell coloration of these snails. Preliminary research has suggested that this morphological diversity may be a response to selection from visual predators. In this study, we expand this preliminary work and (1) test whether selection from visual predators is common across islands, and (2) determine what factors are contributing to the variation in the strength of selection in different habitats and islands across the archipelago.
Comments
W35