Genomics of adaptation and diversification in evolving populations of microbes

微生物种群进化的适应和多样化的基因组学

• 批准号: RGPIN-2014-04836
• 负责人: Kassen, Rees
• 金额: $ 4.52万
• 依托单位: University of Ottawa
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2015-01-01 至 2016-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=588045
• 关键词: Genomics; adaptation; diversification; evolving; populations

Why and how life became so diverse has been the central problem – one might more accurately say obsession – in biology. A history of answers would be a history of biology itself, if not a fairly accurate barometer of the attitudes and mores of society at large. It is also the problem that motivates my research. My aim is to provide a general theory for the evolution of diversity. This proposal explores the underlying genetic causes of ecological diversification. In essence, we are attempting to uncover what has become known as the ‘holy-grail’ of evolution: the genetic changes responsible for adaptation. To do this, we combine experimental evolution, a technique that uses microbial populations evolving in the defined conditions of the laboratory, with new technologies that permit rapid and inexpensive whole genome sequencing. By comparing the genomes of evolved and ancestral genotypes, we can identify the genetic changes responsible for adaptation. In this proposal I outline a series of projects that use these techniques to answer questions such as: How many genes are responsible for ecological diversification? How repeatable is adaptive evolution? What kinds of mutations are responsible for adaptive diversification? Taken together, the answers to these questions allow us to take the first steps towards a general theory of diversity, one that integrates both ecology and genetics. The results of this work will have wide implications both for our basic knowledge about how diversity evolves as well as informing more practical problems in human and ecosystem health that are impacted by the evolutionary emergence of diversity.

生命为何以及如何变得如此多样化一直是生物学的核心问题——更准确地说是痴迷——一部答案的历史即使不是整个社会态度和习俗的相当准确的晴雨表，也将是生物学本身的历史。这也是激发我研究的动力。这个提议探讨了生态多样化的根本遗传原因。进化论的圣杯：为了做到这一点，我们将实验进化（一种使用在实验室特定条件下进化的微生物种群的技术）与通过比较进化和祖先的基因组进行快速且廉价的全基因组测序的新技术相结合。基因型，我们可以识别负责适应的基因变化。在这个提案中，我概述了一系列使用这些技术来回答以下问题的项目：有多少基因负责生态多样化？负责自适应总而言之，这些问题的答案使我们能够迈出综合生态学和遗传学的一般多样性理论的第一步。这项工作的结果将对我们关于多样性如何进化的基本知识产生广泛的影响。以及告知受多样性进化出现影响的人类和生态系统健康中更实际的问题。