CAREER: Quantifying Genetic and Ecological Constraints on the Evolution of Thermal Performance Curves

职业：量化热性能曲线演变的遗传和生态约束

• 批准号: 2337107
• 负责人: Jean Gibert
• 金额: $ 90万
• 依托单位: Duke University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-03-01 至 2029-02-28
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2337107&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Quantifying; Genetic; Ecological; Constraints

This research project will examine how a model, one-celled organism - Tetrahymena thermophila – adapts to changing temperatures. It aims to resolve a critical gap in our understanding of how rapid global climate change may affect all living organisms by studying whether and how a species belonging to one of the most abundant groups on Earth – one-celled organisms known as protists – may evolve to grow more rapidly as temperatures increase, and the biological factors that determine that evolution. Answering this seemingly simple question has myriad societal impacts. Indeed, evolution towards faster growth at warmer temperatures is also predicted to result in increased respiration rates – the process through which living organisms burn sugars to obtain energy while releasing carbon dioxide, a potent greenhouse gas – which would in turn worsen climate change. Additionally, since many protists are human pathogens responsible for diseases like malaria and sleeping sickness, understanding their evolution in changing climates is crucial for public health. Last, this project commits to broadening scientific participation by empowering students from diverse backgrounds, thus enhancing their academic and professional growth in the fields of ecology and evolutionary biology.Our research links thermal, population, and community ecology to the genetic-level processes responsible for determining the thermal performance curve of population growth rates (r-TPCs) in Tetrahymena thermophila, a microbial species of cosmopolitan distribution and importance, and which has a large library of genetic variants. The project will use microcosm experiments and mathematical models. In Aim 1 will quantify intraspecific variation (genetic, environmental, and genotype-environment interaction) in T. thermophila r-TPC using a model population composed of 50 unique genetic strains. These data will quantify selection and evolvability of r-TPCs in this model population to predict possible evolutionary trajectories under warming. Aim 2 will quantify experimentally the evolution of r-TPC in the short- and long-term under warming, and determine its predictablity. Aim 3 will assess how competition and predation influence r-TPC shape evolution within a simplified aquatic microbial food web.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该研究项目将研究一种单细胞生物模型——嗜热四膜虫——如何适应不断变化的温度。该研究项目旨在通过研究一个物种是否以及如何影响全球气候变化如何影响所有生物体，从而解决我们对全球气候变化如何影响所有生物体的理解上的一个关键差距。属于地球上最丰富的群体之一——被称为原生生物的单细胞生物——可能会随着温度的升高而进化得更快，而决定这一进化的生物因素确实会产生无数的社会影响。更快地向增长方向进化气温升高预计还会导致呼吸速率增加，呼吸速率是生物体燃烧糖类获取能量同时释放二氧化碳（一种强效温室气体）的过程，这反过来又会加剧气候变化，因为许多原生生物是人类病原体。对于疟疾和昏睡病等疾病，了解它们在气候变化中的演变对于公共卫生至关重要，该项目致力于通过赋予来自不同背景的学生权力来扩大科学参与，从而促进他们在生态学和进化领域的学术和专业发展。生物学。我们的研究链接热、种群和群落生态学到负责确定嗜热四膜虫种群增长率 (r-TPC) 的热性能曲线的遗传水平过程，嗜热四膜虫是一种世界性分布和重要性的微生物物种，拥有庞大的遗传库该项目将使用微观实验和数学模型，使用由以下组成的模型群体来量化 T.thermophila r-TPC 的种内变异（遗传、环境和基因型-环境相互作用）。 50 个独特的遗传菌株将量化该模型群体中 r-TPC 的选择和进化能力，以预测变暖下可能的进化轨迹。目标 2 将通过实验量化 r-TPC 在变暖下的短期和长期进化。目标 3 将评估竞争和捕食如何影响简化的水生微生物食物网中的 r-TPC 形状进化。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并被认为是值得的。通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来提供支持。