Egan, Scott P2022-09-282022-12-012021-122022-03-01December 2Comerford, Mattheau S. "Evolutionary and Ecological Responses to the Anthropocene; The Red-Shouldered Soapberry Bug in a Rapidly Changing World." (2022) Diss., Rice University. <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1911/113404">https://hdl.handle.net/1911/113404</a>.https://hdl.handle.net/1911/113404The Anthropocene is defined as the current geological age during which human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment.application/pdfengCopyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.The Anthropocene is defined as the current geological age during which human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment. These ecological impacts have had a profound effect on organismal evolution. For instance, climate change, urbanization of natural environments and the movement and introduction of species have forced organisms to adapt to novel conditions and interactions. Here we use the red-shouldered soapberry bug (Jadera haematoloma) to test evolutionary change in an organism that has become a textbook example of rapid ecological adaptation. In doing so, I demonstrate a host-associated divergence of a regional host race that has yet to track the contemporary range expansion of its host. I expand the niche of dietary specialist seed predator, to now also include generalist nectivore. Finally, I test the role of spatial sorting in response to a catastrophic flooding event for its ability to drive evolutionary shifts in non-dispersal phenotypes. Together, these studies expand our understanding of an important model system in evolution while developing insight into how organisms will evolve in response to the rapidly changing world of the Anthropocene.Thesis2022-09-28