Genetic Analysis of Complex Adaptive Traits

目前，关于生物体进化适应时会发生什么类型的基因变化，还没有足够好的数据。这些数据只能来自对自然适应的高分辨率遗传分析。果蝇，果蝇，特别适合这样的分析，因为它可以被遗传操纵，并具有无可争辩的适应能力。作为遗传模式物种黑腹果蝇的近亲，黑腹果蝇已经适应了食用海巴戟果的习惯，这种水果对其他果蝇是有毒的。这笔赠款中的前两个实验是对D·sechellia适应的深入遗传分析。参与这种适应的基因将被精确绘制出来，并对其影响进行评估。这些数据是鉴定和克隆适应等位基因的必要的第一步。最终的实验将通过在相关果蝇物种中人工进化抗性来确定传统遗传变异和新突变在适应进化中的相对重要性。拟议的研究将帮助我们了解生物体如何随着环境变化而发生遗传变化。具体地说，这笔赠款将影响我们对昆虫如何对植物产生的杀虫剂产生抗药性的理解，并将使我们深入了解昆虫如何选择它们赖以生存的植物。

Currently, there is not enough good data on what types of genetic changes occur when organisms evolve an adaptation. This data can only come from high-resolution genetic analyses of natural adaptations. The fruitfly, Drosophila sechellia, is uniquely suited for such an analysis as it can be manipulated genetically and has an indisputable adaptation. A close relative of D. melanogaster, a genetic model species, D. sechellia has adapted to consuming the fruit of Morinda citrifolia, a fruit that is toxic to other fruitflies. The first two experiments in this grant are in-depth genetic analyses of D. sechellia's adaptation. The genes involved in this adaptation will be precisely mapped and their effects estimated. This data is a necessary first step towards the identification and cloning of the adaptive alleles. The final experiment will determine the relative importance of standing genetic variation versus new mutations in the evolution of an adaptation by artificially evolving resistance in related species of fruitflies.The proposed research will help us understand how organisms genetically change in response to environmental change. Specifically, this grant will impact our understanding of how insects evolve resistance to plant produced pesticides and will give insight into how insects choose the plants upon which they feed.