Genetic and Ecotypic Structure of Natural Saccharomyces Populations

本项目将研究酿酒酵母和面包师酵母及其姊妹种矛盾酵母的自然种群的结构和生态变异性。在初步工作中，首席调查员(PI)已经表明，这两种酵母都广泛存在于自然林地环境中，在那里它们被发现与橡树有关。PI的实验室已经从美国中西部和大西洋中部的栖息地收集了大量这两个物种。在目前的项目中，将在同一地区的葡萄园地点进一步收集这两个物种。DNA序列数据和标准微生物学方法将首次用于描述这些生物的遗传变异、近亲繁殖和生态变异的地理模式。酿酒酵母是基础和应用遗传学研究中最重要的生物之一。对其基因组的研究极大地促进了包括人类在内的其他高等生物的基因组学研究。然而，令人惊讶的是，我们对自然界中酿酒酵母的生态和进化知之甚少。该项目将回答有关自然界中酵母种群生物学的基本问题，并将为未来利用酵母作为实验室和田间模式生物整合进化论、生态学和基因组学的研究提供基础。

This project will study the structure and ecological variability of naturally occurring populations of the brewer's and baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and its sister species Saccharomyces paradoxus. In preliminary work, the principle investigator (PI) has shown that both of these yeast species are widespread in natural woodland environments, where they are found in association with oaks. The PI's laboratory has established a large collection of both species from such habitats in the midwestern and mid-Atlantic United States. In the current project, further collections of both species will be carried out at vineyard sites in the same regions. DNA sequence data and standard microbiological methods will then be used to characterize geographic patterns of genetic variability, inbreeding, and ecological variability in these organisms for the first time.Saccharomyces cerevisiae is one of the most important organisms in basic and applied genetic research. Study of its genome has greatly accelerated genomics in other higher organisms, including humans. Surprisingly, however, we know little about the ecology and evolution of S. cerevisiae in nature. This project will answer fundamental questions about the population biology of yeast in nature and will provide a basis for future research integrating evolution, ecology, and genomics using yeast as both a laboratory and a field model organism.