DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Linking genes to cues: How molecular mechanisms explain individual variation of adaptive plasticity to an environmental cue

论文研究：将基因与线索联系起来：分子机制如何解释适应性可塑性与环境线索的个体差异

• 批准号: 1601485
• 负责人: Michael Sears
• 金额: $ 1.5万
• 依托单位: Clemson University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-05-15 至 2017-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1601485&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Linking; genes; cues

This research will investigate how salamanders respond to climate change by acclimating to new environments. The capacity to adjust physiological traits may be especially important for amphibians because they are one of the most threatened groups of animals on the planet. Amphibians use both terrestrial and aquatic environments and thus are particularly sensitive to environmental degradation due to climate change. Unfortunately, despite increased interest in response to climate change, we know very little about how salamander populations will fare under changing conditions. The goal of this project is to identify genes that may contribute to a salamander's ability to accommodate environmental change. This study will help determine if salamander populations can evolve an increased capacity to deal with variable environments. The study will also provide underrepresented college students the opportunity to develop independent, inquiry-based projects in amphibian biology. In response to climate change, organisms must adapt, acclimate, migrate, or potentially face extinction. Adaptation is a heritable evolutionary change of a population over generations. Acclimation is change that happens within the lifetime of an individual animal. If individuals vary in their capacity to acclimate, increased acclimation ability might itself evolve due to natural selection creating an adaptation of acclimation. The study will determine the capacity of individual Southern grey-cheeked salamander (Plethodon metcalfi) to adjust rates of water loss in response to temperature and humidity. Using a time-course experimental design, the study will identify differences in gene expression between individuals that acclimate and individuals that do not acclimate and identify the genes that the salamanders use to reduce rates of water loss as temperature changes. Upon identifying these genes, the study will link the activity of those genes to specific physiological responses that alter water loss. The result will be an increased understanding of the genetic basis of acclimation and adaptation to environmental cues.

这项研究将通过适应新环境来调查Salamanders如何应对气候变化。调整生理特征的能力对两栖动物可能尤其重要，因为它们是地球上最受威胁的动物群体之一。两栖动物同时使用陆地和水生环境，因此由于气候变化而对环境降解特别敏感。不幸的是，尽管对气候变化的兴趣增加了，但我们对sal的种群在不断变化的条件下的表现知之甚少。该项目的目的是确定可能有助于Salamander适应环境变化的能力的基因。这项研究将有助于确定Salamander种群是否可以发展到应对可变环境的能力。这项研究还将为代表性不足的大学生提供开发两栖动物生物学项目的独立，基于询问的项目的机会。为了应对气候变化，生物必须适应，适应，迁移或可能面临灭绝。适应是世代相传的人口的遗传进化变化。适应是在单个动物一生中发生的变化。如果个人的适应能力有所不同，那么增强的适应能力本身可能会由于自然选择而发展，从而创造了适应能力。该研究将确定单个南方灰色chee奶酪（Plethodon metcalfi）的能力，以调整响应温度和湿度的水损失率。使用时间表实验设计，该研究将确定适应能力的个体与不适应能力的个体之间的基因表达差异，并确定了随着温度变化，Salamanders用来降低水流失率的基因。鉴定这些基因后，该研究将这些基因的活性与改变水损失的特定生理反应。结果将是对适应和适应环境线索的遗传基础的越来越多的理解。