RUI: Gene flow, selection, and maintenance of mating system diversity on an ecological gradient

RUI：生态梯度上交配系统多样性的基因流、选择和维持

• 批准号: 0841482
• 负责人: Judy Stone
• 金额: $ 30.66万
• 依托单位: Colby College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-03-15 至 2014-02-28
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0841482&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RUI; Gene; flow; selection; maintenance

Natural selection ideally results in organisms that are well-adapted to their environments. However, such fine-tuning is difficult to attain for species that live over a broad range of environmental conditions. Emigration from the center of the species range to the margins can introduce genes that are suited for environments at the center but maladapted for environments at the periphery. The counteracting forces of natural selection and gene flow will be investigated for a plant species that ranges from sea level to 1500 meters elevation on the Pacific Slope in Costa Rica. Replicate gardens will be established across the range of elevations, using plants that originate from across the range, whose biological fitness will be evaluated in each environment. A 'home field' advantage provides evidence that natural selection has promoted different genes at different sites. In a second set of experiments, molecular markers will be used to estimate the amount of gene flow across the elevational range of the species. The project addresses a central question in population biology, the extent to which gene flow counteracts natural selection. It takes place in montane tropical forests, providing conservation relevance and a useful comparison to results from temperate systems. Training opportunities will be provided for at least eight undergraduate and three post-baccalaureate students.

理想情况下，自然选择会产生能够很好适应环境的生物体。 然而，对于生活在广泛环境条件下的物种来说，这种微调是很难实现的。 从物种范围的中心向边缘迁移可以引入适合中心环境但不适应边缘环境的基因。 将对哥斯达黎加太平洋斜坡上从海平面到海拔 1500 米的植物物种进行自然选择和基因流的反作用力研究。将在整个海拔范围内建立复制花园，使用来自该范围内的植物，并在每个环境中评估其生物适应性。 “主场”优势提供了自然选择在不同地点促进不同基因的证据。 在第二组实验中，分子标记将用于估计跨物种海拔范围的基因流量。该项目解决了群体生物学的一个核心问题，即基因流动在多大程度上抵消了自然选择。 它发生在山地热带森林中，提供了保护相关性并与温带系统的结果进行了有用的比较。 将为至少八名本科生和三名学士后学生提供培训机会。