DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Evaluating phenotypic consequences of accelerated mutation accumulation in the absence of mating

论文研究：评估在没有交配的情况下加速突变积累的表型后果

• 批准号: 1310825
• 负责人: Maurine Neiman
• 金额: $ 1.96万
• 依托单位: University of Iowa
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-07-01 至 2016-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1310825&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Evaluating; phenotypic; consequences

Why sexual reproduction is so overwhelmingly common in nature despite its profound costs remains an open question in evolutionary biology. One potential explanation for the predominance of sexual reproduction resides in the benefits of genetic recombination. A likely important positive outcome of recombination is that it allows organisms to produce offspring that do not inevitably inherit harmful mutations borne by their parent(s). Consequently, asexual lineages are expected to exhibit accelerated accumulation of harmful mutations compared to sexual lineages, so that asexual lineages would eventually be driven extinct. We will evaluate the functional impact of mutation accumulation in asexual vs. sexual lineages using Potamopyrgus antipodarum, a New Zealand freshwater snail in which accelerated mutation accumulation in asexual lineages has already been documented. This research will provide the first known attempt to connect mutation accumulation at the DNA level with functional consequences at the organismal level in a species in which sexual and asexual individuals regularly coexist.A major component of this project involves collaboration with more than 100 high school and undergraduate students in which students will make meaningful contributions to understanding how sexual reproduction influences genotypes and phenotypes. As such, this research represents a joint public and scientific effort to better understand the role of sexual reproduction in the evolution of life.

为什么有性繁殖在本质上如此普遍，尽管其成本很高，这在进化生物学中仍然是一个悬而未决的问题。有性繁殖的主要解释是遗传重组的益处。重组的一个可能重要的积极结果是，它允许生物体产生不可避免地继承其父母承担的有害突变的后代。因此，与性谱系相比，无性谱系有害突变的加速积累，因此无性谱系最终将被驱动灭绝。我们将使用Potamopyrgus Antipodarum评估突变积累在无性谱系中的功能影响，Potamopyrgus Antipodarum是一种新西兰淡水蜗牛，其中已经记录了无性谱系中的加速突变积累。这项研究将提供第一次已知的尝试，将突变在DNA水平上的积累与有机水平的功能后果联系起来，在该物种中，性和无性恋人定期进行共存。该项目的主要组成部分涉及与100多个高中和本科生的合作，其中学生将如何理解性生殖如何影响Genotypes和Phanotypes和Phanotypes。因此，这项研究代表了共同的公众和科学努力，以更好地了解有性繁殖在生命进化中的作用。