Molecular and Functional Basis of Agouti Camouflage in Peromyscus Populations

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The proposed research will identify the precise DNA mutations responsible for producing camouflaged coloration in natural populations of deer mice (genus Peromyscus). In the Sand Hills of Nebraska, Peromyscus maniculatus have a lighter dorsal color than mice living in adjacent non-sandy habitats as an adaptation for camouflage. Changes in the expression of the Agouti protein are important for this color variation. This project will (1) examine color variation in mice collected across the Sand Hills, (2) sequence DNA variation at the Agouti locus, and (3) conduct statistical analyses to identify functionally important DNA mutations. Ultimately, these mutations will be screened in other light colored populations to determine if light color is produced by the same genetic changes in independent populations. This project will identify the DNA changes contributing to the survival of organisms in nature, with the goal of understanding how organisms adapt to their environment. This research will also integrate ecology and evolutionary biology with modern molecular biology and genetics to provide interdisciplinary training opportunities to undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students. In addition, development of a series of workshop and classroom presentations will make science and fundamental concepts in evolutionary biology accessible to students from low-income families in grades 6-12.