Collaborative research, RUI, SG: Phenotypic and genomic patterns of divergence across a young Drosophila species complex.

合作研究，RUI，SG：年轻果蝇物种复合体的表型和基因组分化模式。

基本信息

批准号：
1655935
负责人：
Roman Yukilevich
金额：
$ 10.36万
依托单位：
Union College
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
2017
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2017-04-01 至 2022-03-31
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1655935&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
Collaborative research RUI SG Phenotypic

项目摘要

This study will advance our understanding of the process of speciation, the splitting of one species into two. This process is the fundamental source of biodiversity and yet is still not well understood. This project will help us understand the genetic, behavioral, and morphological changes that allowed new species to fully differentiate from one another. The research focuses on fruit flies, which have long served as a model organism for studies of genetics. The researchers will study three species of fruit flies that diverged from a common ancestor species only in the last 5,000-16,000 years. By studying closely related species, it is possible to tease apart which genetic changes led to the original separation versus which changes happened afterwards. In particular, the project will identify what genetic differences are associated with differences in mating behavior and morphology that restrict or even prevent interbreeding between newly diverged species. The project will provide research experiences for undergraduate students at two liberal arts colleges and train them in DNA sequencing and genetic analysis. Further, the research findings will be used to train high school teachers and develop science educational workshops in upstate New York and western Massachusetts.The researchers will test the hypothesis that chromosomal inversions have caused divergence and speciation in the Drosophila athabasca species complex by testing two key predictions: 1) Chromosomal inversions contain Quantitative Trait Loci for divergent male courtship song and female mating preferences that are responsible for sexual isolation between these taxa. 2) Chromosomal inversions show greater sequence divergence compared to genomic regions outside of the inversions. This study will directly test if chromosomal inversions harbor phenotypes that cause sexual isolation and thereby instigated reduction in gene flow between nascent species, thus facilitating the process of genomic divergence and speciation. Two datasets will be collected: inter-species crosses to genetically map behavioral speciation phenotypes and population genomic data covering the entire geographical range of each behavioral species.

这项研究将增进我们对物种形成过程（一个物种分裂为两个）的理解。这一过程是生物多样性的根本来源，但仍未得到充分理解。该项目将帮助我们了解基因、行为和形态的变化，这些变化使新物种能够彼此完全分化。这项研究的重点是果蝇，长期以来，果蝇一直是遗传学研究的模式生物。研究人员将研究三种果蝇，它们在过去 5,000-16,000 年间才从共同祖先物种中分化出来。通过研究密切相关的物种，可以区分哪些基因变化导致了最初的分离，哪些变化是后来发生的。特别是，该项目将确定哪些遗传差异与交配行为和形态的差异相关，这些差异限制甚至阻止了新分化物种之间的杂交。该项目将为两所文理学院的本科生提供研究经验，并对他们进行 DNA 测序和基因分析方面的培训。此外，研究结果将用于培训高中教师并在纽约州北部和马萨诸塞州西部举办科学教育讲习班。研究人员将通过测试两个关键因素来检验染色体倒位导致果蝇阿萨巴斯卡物种复合体分化和物种形成的假设预测：1）染色体倒位包含不同的雄性求爱歌曲和雌性交配偏好的数量性状基因座，这些基因座负责这些类群之间的性隔离。 2) 与倒位之外的基因组区域相比，染色体倒位显示出更大的序列差异。这项研究将直接测试染色体倒位是否具有导致性隔离的表型，从而导致新生物种之间的基因流减少，从而促进基因组分歧和物种形成的过程。将收集两个数据集：用于绘制行为物种形成表型遗传图谱的物种间杂交和覆盖每个行为物种整个地理范围的群体基因组数据。