Portland State University PDXScholar Dissertations and Theses Dissertations and Theses 4-15-2021 Connecting Environment and Phenotype: Deciphering Mechanisms of Diapause Entry and Exit in the Annual Killifish Austrofundulus limnaeus Erin Monica Davis Portland State University Follow this and additional works at: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds Part of the Animal Sciences Commons, and the Biology Commons Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Davis, Erin Monica, "Connecting Environment and Phenotype: Deciphering Mechanisms of Diapause Entry and Exit in the Annual Killifish Austrofundulus limnaeus" (2021). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 5680. https://doi.org/10.15760/etd.7552 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. Please contact us if we can make this document more accessible:
[email protected]. Connecting Environment and Phenotype: Deciphering Mechanisms of Diapause Entry and Exit in the Annual Killifish Austrofundulus limnaeus by Erin Monica Davis A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Biology Thesis Committee: Jason Podrabsky, Chair Deborah Duffield Annie Lindgren Portland State University 2021 ©2021 Erin Monica Davis ABSTRACT Embryonic development is complex, dynamic, and dependent on environmental factors. Mechanisms of sensing and integrating environmental stimuli are diverse, and understanding these mechanisms in extant species can elucidate how complex phenotypes emerge from genomic information expressed in an environmental context. In Austrofundulus limnaeus, an annual killifish with alternative developmental trajectories, light and temperature are vital factors that determine if an embryo will enter a state of diapause.