Primarily, we aim to identify developmental and molecular determinants of natural variation in these phenotypes through a combination of quantitative genetic approaches, such as QTL mapping, followed by molecular genetic analyses of uncovered allelic variants and their functional consequences. This research further intends to identify the molecular changes underlying the evolutionary transitions from plastic to fixed trait expression (genetic assimilation). In addition, as genotype-by-environment interactions may also be expressed across multiple generations, we currently characterize genotypic differences in transgenerational transmission of environmentally-induced reproductive defects.