LTREB Renewal: Long-term Research on Environmental Gender Determination in a Model System (Chrysemys)

LTREB 更新：模型系统（Chrysemys）中环境性别决定的长期研究

• 批准号: 1242510
• 负责人: Fredric Janzen
• 金额: $ 44.92万
• 依托单位: Iowa State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-09-01 至 2019-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1242510&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: LTREB; Renewal; Long; term; Research

In several major groups of vertebrates, environmental temperatures experienced during embryonic development determine offspring gender. Temperature-dependent gender determination will be addressed with a multi-year field study of a wild population of the painted turtle, Chrysemys picta. The project will investigate several aspects of this unusual phenomenon: (1) the impact of long-term climatic variation on population structure, particularly the ratio of males to females, (2) the effect of lifetime patterns of nesting behavior on offspring gender ratio, and (3) climatic effects on variation in predator numbers and differential predation on nests, and hence shifts in population gender ratio. A team of student researchers will record nesting date and vegetation cover over nests, follow females across years to evaluate nesting behavior, monitor nests to investigate the influence of predators on offspring recruitment, and relate these data to information on climate and human habitat use.The findings of this research will have important implications for the impacts of climate change and human habitat use on the biology and conservation of species with this gender determination system. This long-term research program will also continue to provide extensive first-hand and on-line educational opportunities for numerous students, including many underrepresented minorities and women, and the public.

在几个主要的脊椎动物群体中，胚胎发育过程中经历的环境温度决定了后代的性别。将通过对锦龟（Chrysemys picta）野生种群进行多年实地研究来解决温度依赖性性别决定问题。该项目将调查这一不寻常现象的几个方面：（1）长期气候变化对种群结构的影响，特别是男性与女性的比例，（2）终生筑巢行为模式对后代性别比例的影响， (3) 气候对捕食者数量变化和巢穴捕食差异的影响，从而影响种群性别比例的变化。一组学生研究人员将记录筑巢日期和巢穴上的植被覆盖，多年来跟踪雌性以评估筑巢行为，监测巢穴以调查捕食者对后代招募的影响，并将这些数据与气候和人类栖息地利用的信息联系起来。这项研究的结果将对气候变化和人类栖息地利用对性别决定系统的生物学和物种保护的影响产生重要影响。这项长期研究计划还将继续为众多学生（包括许多代表性不足的少数族裔和妇女）以及公众提供广泛的第一手和在线教育机会。