Evolution in the laboratory and adaptations in the wild

Laboratory evolution allows population studies over generations under defined and reproducible conditions, but without the choice of reproducing individuals. By using “laboratory natural selection” as a tool for testing evolutionary hypotheses on the effects of specific selection types in Acanthoscelides obtectus, the focal topics of this research will be: genetical and physiological basis of the life-history traits responding to density-dependent, age–specific selection and evolution on novel host species; the evolution of ageing and late life; and the development of pre- and post-zygotic reproductive isolation between laboratory populations. Contrary to laboratory populations, in natural populations, environmental conditions are efficient evolutionary factors that modulate adaptations. To highlight the mechanisms of adaptations in native Iris pumila populations, plant responses at various hierarchical levels (from proteins to phenotype) will be examined using reciprocal transplants experiments conducted in the wild. Seasonal variation in trait values is expected to reflect acclimatization to extant environmental contexts, while their differences between habitats could arise due to divergent selection. Conversely, developmental instability (random perturbations due to stochastic nature of cellular processes) is supposed to be trait-specific and shaped by both environmental factors and the endogenous content of molecular chaperons.