Abstract:
The motivation for this simulation study is the realization in our laboratory over the past
several years that experimental populations of Drosophila subjected to larval crowding
every generation can actually evolve greater competitive ability via fairly different sets of
phenotypes, depending on the ecological details of how exactly the larval crowding was
imposed (Sarangi 2013; Nagarajan et al. 2016; Sarangi et al. 2016; M. Sarangi and A.
Joshi, unpubl. data). Earlier work on multiple sets of selected and control Drosophila
melanogaster populations had suggested that populations subjected to larval crowding
evolve greater competitive ability largely through an increased larval feeding rate and
greater tolerance to metabolic wastes (Mueller 1997; Joshi et al. 2001; Prasad and Joshi
2003; Mueller and Cabral 2012). The more recent studies, however, indicate that which
suite of traits evolves in crowding-adapted Drosophila populations is likely dependent on
the total volume of food available in the crowded cultures, and not just the density in
terms of egg per unit volume of food (Sarangi 2013; Nagarajan et al. 2016; Sarangi et al.
2016; M. Sarangi and A. Joshi, unpubl. data). In this context, it will be important to be
able to examine the effects of different ecological scenarios of larval crowding
implemented through differing protocols in selection experiments using Drosophila. Due
to logistical constraints, large numbers of selection experiments cannot be carried out.
Therefore, computer simulations that enable a systematic examination of the evolutionary
dynamics of different suites of fitness-related phenotypes in Drosophila populations
subjected to larval crowding in different ways can be very useful in narrowing down the list of possible selection experiments to identify those that will offer the greatest
understanding for the effort put in.
