Collaborative Research: Evolutionary and Ecological Physiology of Blue Mussels (genus Mytilus): Gene and Protein Expression and Molecular Evolution in Differently Adapted Congeners

不同物种对环境胁迫的耐受性会影响它们的分布格局和对气候变化的敏感性。这个项目将描述蓝贻贝(紫贻贝属)的本地和入侵物种的生理过程，这些过程对S对温度和盐度变化的反应最关键，从几分钟到几周，甚至几代。这项工作是现代基因组技术(转录组学-研究基因表达，蛋白质组学-鉴定细胞中存在的蛋白质)的首次应用，以描述海洋动物在环境压力下同时存在的成千上万个基因和蛋白质的动态。此外，该项目还将比较基因序列和蛋白质结构和功能，以确定决定该物种不同耐受极限的蛋白质的特征。这个项目有更广泛的影响。这些研究将探讨为什么来自地中海的一种入侵的蓝色贻贝物种成功地取代了北美太平洋海岸南部的本土蓝色贻贝。将要研究的蓝色贻贝是生态学、海洋科学和进化生物学的研究人员以及州和联邦自然资源管理者的极大兴趣，他们试图了解气候变化对自然种群的环境影响，以及入侵物种在新的栖息地成功的过程。研究结果对利用贻贝监测沿海和河口水域水质状况的“贻贝观察”项目具有特别重要的意义。斯坦福大学和加州理工州立大学圣路易斯·奥比斯波大学的合作，将从高中生到博士后研究人员的所有培训阶段的学生聚集在一起，努力培养一个社会和种族多样化的研究环境。跨校区交流将为两个校区的学生提供一个良好的学习环境。

The distribution patterns and sensitivities to climate change of different species will be affected by their tolerance of environmental stress. This project will characterize the physiological processes in native and invasive species of blue mussels (genus Mytilus) that are most critical in the animal''s responses to changes in temperature and salinity, on a scale from minutes to weeks and even to generations. This work is the first application of modern genome-enabled technologies (transcriptomics - the study of gene expression, and proteomics - identification of proteins present in a cell) to describe the dynamics of thousands of genes and proteins simultaneously in marine animals subjected to environmental stress. In addition, this project will compare gene sequences and protein structure and function to identify the characteristics of proteins that determine the species'' different tolerance limits. This project has many broader impacts. These studies will examine why an invasive blue mussel species from the Mediterranean Sea has successfully replaced the native blue mussel along the southern portion of the Pacific Coast of North America. The blue mussels to be studied are of great interest to researchers in ecology, marine science, and evolutionary biology, as well as to State and Federal natural resource managers who seek to understand the environmental impacts of climate change on natural populations and the processes by which invasive species succeed in new habitats. The results will be of special significance to the "Mussel Watch" Project, which uses mussels to monitor the water quality status of coastal and estuarine waters. The collaboration between Stanford University and California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, brings together students from all stages of training, from high school students to postdoctoral researchers, in an effort to foster a socially and ethnically diverse research environment. Cross-campus exchanges will facilitate an excellent learning environment for students at both campuses.