Dissertation Research: Ecological Genetics of Life-history Evolution in Mimulus guttatus

生物学的一个中心目标是了解生态和遗传因素，这些因素促成了生命的多样性。 对不同生态条件的适应是通过基因组和可见性状的变化发生的。 很少有研究分析了基因组差异的分歧。 该项目旨在回答关于两种截然不同的野生Mimulus guttatus（黄色猴花）种群之间适应性差异的基本问题。 一个种群由生活在极端高山条件下的微小、小花的一年生植物组成。其他种群包括大花多年生植物，栖息在沿海温带环境的沙丘中。 本研究将使用基因组作图方法，以确定和表征在一个共同的花园环境中的性状差异的遗传基础。 此外，本实验还将揭示特定基因型在不同自然环境中的适应性表现。 通过分析重组自交系（一年生和多年生植物之间的高世代杂交种）在相互移植实验中，将评估与两个自然环境中的每一个中的特定基因组区域相关的适合度变化。 这种对局部适应性的遗传解剖将有助于澄清哪些性状和染色体区域与野外表现相关。这些实验的结果将为基本的进化问题提供一个不同寻常的完整理解，例如遗传差异如何有助于生物体占据不同生态环境的能力。

A central goal of biology is to understand ecological and genetic factors which have contributed to the diversity of life. Adaptation to different ecological conditions occurs through changes in the genome and in visible traits. Few studies have analyzed the genomic differences underlying divergence. This project aims to answer fundamental questions regarding the adaptive differences between two dramatically different wild populations of Mimulus guttatus (yellow monkeyflower). One population consists of tiny, small flowered annual plants living in extreme alpine conditions. The other population includes large-flowered perennials inhabiting sand dunes in a coastal temperate environment. This study will use genome mapping approaches to identify and characterize the genetic basis of trait differences in a common garden environment. In addition, this experiment will reveal how particular genotypes perform in different natural environments with respect to fitness. By analyzing recombinant inbred lines (advanced generation hybrids between annual and perennial) in a reciprocal transplant experiment, fitness variation associated with specific genomic regions in each of the two natural environments will be assessed. This genetic dissection of local adaptation will help clarify which traits and chromosome regions are associated with performance in the wild.Results of these experiments will provide an unusually complete understanding of basic evolutionary questions, such as how genetic differences contribute to an organisms' ability to occupy diverse ecological environments.