SGER - Hormones, Behavior and Life Cycles: Predictors of Sensitivity to Global Change?

全球气候变化正在导致生物生命周期的迁徙、繁殖季节和其他方面的戏剧性调整。一些人口繁荣，另一些人口衰落，而另一些人口保持不变。为什么会有这样的变化？最近发现了一种鸣鸟(白冠麻雀，Zonotrichia leucophrys pugetensis)，它们在西雅图的城市栖息地定居，并利用华盛顿州喀斯喀特山脉的人类干扰地区。这些鸟已经在新的栖息地定居，它们的数量在过去20年里急剧增加。这些种群现在与高山亚种(Z.L.这并没有改变它的射程。此外，还有一个非迁徙的沿海亚种(Z.L.坚果(Nuttalli)也没有改变其范围。越来越多的数据表明，正在改变其范围的亚种也在改变荷尔蒙行为机制，以匹配高山亚种。这包括荷尔蒙对压力的反应。在高山亚种和北部亚种中，这些反应在春季被调制，一旦开始筑巢，这些反应就被下调，但在沿海亚种(包括Z.L.种群)中，这些反应不被调制。在祖先、沿海、栖息地的Pugetensis)。Z.L.的种群已经在城市和高山栖息地定居的普吉特人现在调整他们对急性压力的激素反应，北方和自然高山亚种也是如此。目前的项目将确定这是表观遗传效应还是新特征的快速进化。这将包括Z.L.祖先群体和先驱群体中基因转录的潜在表观遗传调节。Pugetensis，与亚种Z.L.Gambeli和Z.L.坚果酱不会改变射程。这项研究将是与全球变化相关的生态环境中细胞和分子技术的新融合。至少有两名研究生将参与实地工作，并为表观遗传学工作开发分子方法。这个项目可能会成为这两个学生的毕业论文研究的重点，本科生也将加入这个项目，直到今年春夏。

Global climate change is resulting in dramatic adjustments of migrations, breeding seasons and other aspects of the life cycle of organisms. Some populations flourish, others decline and yet others remain unchanged. Why this variation? A population of songbirds (White-crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia leucophrys pugetensis) has recently been identified that has colonized urban habitat in Seattle as well as taken advantage of human disturbed areas in the Cascade Mountains of Washington State. These birds have settled in new habitat and their populations have expanded dramatically in the last twenty years. These populations are now in contact with alpine sub-species (Z.l. gambelii) that is not changing its range. Furthermore, there is a non-migratory, coastal sub-species (Z.l. nuttalli) that also is not changing its range. Accumulating data show that the sub-species that is changing its range is also changing hormone-behavior mechanisms to match the alpine sub-species. This includes the hormonal responses to stress. These responses are modulated up in the spring and down once nesting begins in the alpine and northern sub-species, but not modulated in the coastal sub-species (including the populations of Z.l. pugetensis in ancestral, coastal, habitat). Populations of Z.l. pugetensis that have colonized urban and alpine habitats now modulate their hormone responses to acute stress as do the northern and natural alpine sub-species. The current project will determine whether this is an epigenetic effect or rapid evolution of new traits. This will include potential epigenetic regulation of gene transcription in ancestral populations and pioneer populations of Z.l. pugetensis, compared with the sub-species Z.l. gambelii and Z.l. nuttalli that are not changing their ranges. This research will be a new blend of cell and molecular techniques in ecological settings in relation to global change. At least two graduate students will be involved in the field work and developing molecular methods for the epigenetic work. This project will likely become the focus for thesis research for these two students and undergraduate students will also join the project through this spring and summer.