About me
Repeatability in highly variable environments: Selection dynamics of stickleback populations
MK Hickox, Alan Elfring, Ben Wasserman, Eric Palkovacs, Andrew Hendry, Rowan Barrett
Natural selection has long been a central pillar of evolutionary theory; however, the repeatability of natural selection remains a topic of much discussion. Are the targets of selection consistent, and how are they affected by changing environments? I examine these questions in threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) populations occupying the bar-built estuaries of Santa Cruz, California. These populations experience extreme (i.e., marine-to-freshwater) and temporally-predictable shifts, providing a rare opportunity to examine selection in nature in real time. Using pooled whole-genome sequencing, I compare the targets of selection within and across populations over time. I have detected signatures of selection consistent with both shared and local selection pressures. This work will contribute to our understanding of the repeatability of evolutionary phenomena over fine temporal scales and across highly dynamic environments.
