DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Integrating Physiology and Genomics to Test for Local Adaptation in a Montane Ectotherm

论文研究：整合生理学和基因组学来测试山地变温动物的局部适应

• 批准号: 1701231
• 负责人: Adam Leache
• 金额: $ 2.01万
• 依托单位: University of Washington
• 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: 2017-06-15 至 2019-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1701231&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Integrating; Physiology; Genomics

This project will investigate the processes determining color and size differences between western fence lizards occurring at high versus low elevations on mountains in California. High elevation lizards are darker and larger than low elevation lizards. Such differences in traits within a species are generally assumed to be genetically based and a result of adaptation to local environments. However, phenotypic differences can also result from the effects of different environmental conditions on development. The researchers will use a combination of physiological experiments and genomic analyses to identify whether color and size differences in western fence lizards are a consequence of natural selection or phenotypic plasticity. Results will provide critical insights into the role and evolutionary advantages of environmentally dependent phenotypic differences in heterogeneous environments. In addition, the project includes day-long educational workshops targeting young girls interested in STEM fields and development of an interactive exhibit on lizards for a local museum.This study focuses on a phenotypic cline in the western fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis) along an elevational gradient in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. By combining techniques from genomics, functional ecology, and transcriptomics, this research will develop a comprehensive picture of the origin and function of high elevation phenotypes in western fence lizards. The researchers plan to evaluate the influence of temperature and day length on juvenile phenotypes, and to identify candidate genomic regions implicated in phenotypic differentiation. Juvenile lizards will be reared in a laboratory common garden experiment with treatments that mimic conditions at high and low elevation. This experimental design will decouple the genetic and environmental constituents of phenotype, and also shed light on the functional implications of trait differences. By comparing gene expression profiles of lizards reared in native and non-native conditions, fixed and plastic responses to environmental conditions at both organismal and genomic levels will be identified.

该项目将调查确定在加利福尼亚州山区高海拔与低海拔的西部栅栏蜥蜴之间的颜色和尺寸差异的过程。高海拔蜥蜴比低海拔蜥蜴更暗且大。通常认为，物种内部特征的这种差异是基于遗传的，并且是适应局部环境的结果。但是，表型差异也可能是由于不同环境条件对发展的影响。研究人员将使用生理实验和基因组分析的结合来确定西部栅栏蜥蜴的颜色和大小差异是自然选择还是表型可塑性的结果。结果将提供有关在异质环境中环境依赖的表型差异的作用和进化优势的关键见解。此外，该项目还包括为期一天的教育研讨会，针对对STEM领域感兴趣的年轻女孩以及在当地博物馆的蜥蜴上开发的互动展览。这项研究着重于西方栅栏蜥蜴（Sceloporus occidentalis）沿着内里拉山脉山脉山脉的高度梯度。通过结合基因组学，功能生态学和转录组学的技术，这项研究将对西方栅栏蜥蜴高升高表型的起源和功能进行全面了解。研究人员计划评估温度和白天对少年表型的影响，并确定与表型分化有关的候选基因组区域。少年蜥蜴将在实验室通用花园实验中饲养，并通过模仿高海拔的治疗方法。该实验设计将使表型的遗传和环境成分解脱，并阐明性状差异的功能意义。通过比较在天然和非本地条件下饲养的蜥蜴的基因表达谱，将确定对生物和基因组水平的环境条件的固定和塑性反应。