Reference number : GC-2017-Q1-03503, amendment number : , agreement type : G, recipient legal name : Magnan, Pierre (Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières), recipient country : CA, recipient province : nan, recipient city : Quebec|Québec, recipient postal code : nan, program name english : Discovery Grants Program - Individual, program name french : Programme de subventions à la découverte - individuelles, program purpose english : Understanding the mechanisms underlying species diversification and speciation was first addressed in Darwin&rsquo;s The Origin of Species , and reviews published over the past few years have highlighted that this question is still one the most challenging and exciting issues in evolutionary ecology. It has been shown that plasticity promotes the origin of novel phenotypes through the capacity of single genotypes to produce different phenotypes in response to varying environmental conditions. Phenotypic plasticity has been proposed as a mechanism for the expression of resource polymorphism, i.e., when individuals of the same population exhibit differences in morphology, behaviour, and physiological traits associated with differential niche use. Resource polymorphisms could in turn lead to genetic differentiation and ultimately to adaptive radiation. However, testing these recent theoretical developments in natural systems is still one of the most challenging tasks in evolutionary ecology. The long-term objective of my research program is to study how phenotypic plasticity and resource polymorphism promote adaptive radiation. I use the brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis , from Canadian Shield lakes as the model species. Brook trout exhibits a subtle resource polymorphism, and our results suggest that these lakes represent the early stages of evolutionary divergence of this species. This makes them of particular interest for understanding the processes involved in the early steps of ecological speciation. The proposed research is built on 15 years of work in this system and will allow us to 1) improve our understanding on the role of temperature in the evolution of resource polymorphism in ectotherms, 2) test the functional relationship between phenotype&ndash;environment in two discrete ecotypes, and 3) identify the mechanisms underlying the transmission of adaptive traits in fishes. In addition to being done on natural populations, the proposed research projects are conceptually original and will collectively contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms of adaptive radiation in animals. Furthermore, the proposed research will allow to train two M.Sc. and two Ph.D. candidates as well as 10 research assistants. These students will acquire solid conceptual and practical skills, which are highly sought by employers like public organizations, private industries, and academic institutions., program purpose french : Understanding the mechanisms underlying species diversification and speciation was first addressed in Darwin&rsquo;s The Origin of Species , and reviews published over the past few years have highlighted that this question is still one the most challenging and exciting issues in evolutionary ecology. It has been shown that plasticity promotes the origin of novel phenotypes through the capacity of single genotypes to produce different phenotypes in response to varying environmental conditions. Phenotypic plasticity has been proposed as a mechanism for the expression of resource polymorphism, i.e., when individuals of the same population exhibit differences in morphology, behaviour, and physiological traits associated with differential niche use. Resource polymorphisms could in turn lead to genetic differentiation and ultimately to adaptive radiation. However, testing these recent theoretical developments in natural systems is still one of the most challenging tasks in evolutionary ecology. The long-term objective of my research program is to study how phenotypic plasticity and resource polymorphism promote adaptive radiation. I use the brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis , from Canadian Shield lakes as the model species. Brook trout exhibits a subtle resource polymorphism, and our results suggest that these lakes represent the early stages of evolutionary divergence of this species. This makes them of particular interest for understanding the processes involved in the early steps of ecological speciation. The proposed research is built on 15 years of work in this system and will allow us to 1) improve our understanding on the role of temperature in the evolution of resource polymorphism in ectotherms, 2) test the functional relationship between phenotype&ndash;environment in two discrete ecotypes, and 3) identify the mechanisms underlying the transmission of adaptive traits in fishes. In addition to being done on natural populations, the proposed research projects are conceptually original and will collectively contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms of adaptive radiation in animals. Furthermore, the proposed research will allow to train two M.Sc. and two Ph.D. candidates as well as 10 research assistants. These students will acquire solid conceptual and practical skills, which are highly sought by employers like public organizations, private industries, and academic institutions., agreement title english : The role of phenotypic plasticity and resource polymorphism on the evolution of fish populations, agreement title french : The role of phenotypic plasticity and resource polymorphism on the evolution of fish populations, agreement number : RGPIN, agreement value : 165000.0, agreement start date : 2017-05-10, agreement end date : nan, description english : nan, description french : nan, expected results english : nan, expected results french : nan, additional information english : Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year. (2017-2018 to 2022-2023), additional information french : Subvention ou bourse octroyée s'appliquant à plus d'un exercice financier. (2017-2018 à 2022-2023), owner organization : nserc-crsng, owner organization title : Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada | Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada