CAREER: Distribution of fitness effects, identity and interaction of beneficial mutations available for adaptation

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。种群遗传学为种群在进化过程中现有基因的命运提供了强有力的、经过充分验证的理论。相比之下，目前还没有强有力的定量框架来预测基因的新版本如何在自然选择中产生和接管。理解适应基础的关键问题，如有益突变发生的频率，小与大有益突变的相对平衡，以及为什么对新环境的适应几乎总是随着时间的推移而迅速减缓，仍然没有答案。该提案综合了最近发展的群体遗传理论，一种新的，新开发的用于跟踪亚群体动态的标记系统，以及用于高通量培养，全基因组测序和分析不同版本基因频率的尖端技术，以解决一个基本问题-什么是可用于适应的原材料？-以一种以前不可能的方式。要预测人口和社区将如何应对迅速的自然或人为变化，包括气候变化、海洋酸化、生物技术过程中使用的恶劣环境或新出现的疾病，对适应问题有更深入的了解至关重要。这项研究包含了多种教育和培训活动，如“行动中的进化”本科课程、高中拓展实验室、教师培训和为博物馆展览制作视频。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Population genetics provides powerful, well-tested theory for the fate of existing versions of genes in a population during evolution. In contrast, no strong quantitative framework exists to predict how new versions of genes arise and take over due to natural selection. Questions critical to understanding the basis of adaptation such as how often beneficial mutations occur, the relative balance of small vs. large beneficial mutations, and why adaptation to new environments almost always slows down rapidly with time remain unanswered. This proposal synthesizes recently developed population genetic theory, a novel, newly-developed marker system for tracking subpopulation dynamics, and cutting-edge techniques for high-throughput culturing, whole-genome sequencing, and assaying frequencies of different versions of genes to address a fundamental question - what is the raw material available for adaptation? - in a manner not possible previously.A deeper understanding of adaptation is critical to predict how populations and communities will respond to rapid natural or anthropogenic changes, including climate change, ocean acidification, the harsh environments used in biotechnological processes, or emerging diseases. The research incorporates diverse educational and training activities such as an Evolution in Action undergraduate course, high school outreach laboratories, teacher training, and the development of videos for museum exhibits.