Evolution in changing environments revealed by fire melanism in pygmy grasshopper

Sammanfattning: According to theory, genetic diversity can be maintained by environmental variation and the degree of genetic and phenotypic polymorphism may enhance the ability of populations to endure stress imposed by changing environments. In my thesis I used colour polymorphic pygmy grasshoppers (Tetrix subulata) as a model system to explore how environmental variation influenced genetic diversity. I compared population colour morph frequencies between populations in burnt and non-burnt areas and performed experiments to investigate to what extent colour patterns in these insects are determined by genes and influenced by phenotypic plasticity in response to environmental effects experienced during development. My results showed that the frequency of black individuals on average was much higher in recently fire ravaged areas, a condition known as fire melanism. The highest proportion of black individuals was reached within the first year after a fire. After the initial increase, the proportion of black individuals declined again and the distribution among alternative colour morphs became more even. Data for individuals raised in captivity revealed a high correspondence between maternal and offspring colour patterns, indicating a strong genetic influence on colour. Additional experiments demonstrated that the development of colour patterns in pygmy grasshoppers was not influenced by burnt material or high population densities, two environmental cues associated with post fire environments.To test if reduced competition among alternative colour morphs may contribute to the maintenance of colour pattern polymorphism in these insects I examined if average survival was higher in diverse compared to homogeneous groups of individuals. I found that survival increased with colour pattern diversity, presumably due to reduced competition among alternative colour morphs. Relaxation of competition may explain why the distribution among alternative colour patterns changed and became more even after the initial evolution of fire melanism. My results demonstrate that environmental change may cause extremely rapid and reversible evolution, indicate that fluctuating selection may preserve genetic variation and support the notion that polymorphism may increase average individual success and enable populations to withstand environmental change.