Collaborative Research: Balancing selection and MHC variation in an endangered bird

合作研究：平衡濒危鸟类的选择和 MHC 变异

• 批准号: 0948695
• 负责人: Peter Dunn
• 金额: $ 35.52万
• 依托单位: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-03-15 至 2014-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0948695&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Balancing; selection; MHC

A major question in conservation biology is why some populations with low levels of genetic variation remain relatively stable while others decline in size. Stable populations may not have lost genetic variation related to disease resistance, such as the suite of resistance genes known as the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC). Theory suggests that natural selection is more likely to maintain functionally important MHC variation in populations that have experienced declines in size. This study will make direct estimates of natural selection on the MHC and other immunity genes using data from both historic and contemporary populations of the greater prairie-chicken, which is one of the most threatened species of bird in North America. This project will also examine the association between variation at MHC genes and parasites, immunity and survival in two small populations that are undergoing augmentation with translocations (Wisconsin) and captive breeding (Texas) to increase genetic variation. The results of this study will be valuable for biologists studying the effects of population size on disease and parasite resistance, and it will provide management guidelines for captive breeding and translocating animals, practices that are likely to increase with continuing loss of prairie habitat. Graduate students and a post-doctoral researcher will be trained in immunogenetics, and the project should lead to valuable new genetic markers for studying immunity-related genes in other species. The PIs will work with environmental education centers in Milwaukee and Dallas-Fort Worth on citizen science and teacher education projects that focus on the health of wildlife. The results will be broadly disseminated to state and federal wildlife agencies, environmental groups and the general public.

保护生物学的一个主要问题是，为什么一些遗传变异水平较低的人群相对稳定，而另一些人群的大小下降。稳定的种群可能不会失去与疾病抗性相关的遗传变异，例如称为主要组织相容性复合物（MHC）的抗性基因套件。理论表明，自然选择更有可能在体重下降的人群中保持功能上重要的MHC变化。这项研究将使用来自大草原 - 奇肯（Greater Prairie-Chicken）的历史和当代人群的数据直接估算MHC和其他免疫基因的自然选择，该基因是北美最受威胁的鸟类之一。该项目还将检查MHC基因的变异与寄生虫的变异，两个小人群中的免疫力和生存率，这些人群随着易位（威斯康星州）（Wisconsin）和圈养育种（德克萨斯州）的增强，以增加遗传变异。这项研究的结果对于研究人口规模对疾病和寄生虫抗性的影响的生物学家将很有价值，它将为圈养和易位动物提供管理指南，这些实践可能会随着草原栖息地的持续丧失而增加。研究生和博士后研究人员将接受免疫遗传学培训，该项目应为研究其他物种中与免疫相关的基因研究带来宝贵的新遗传标记。 PI将与密尔沃基和达拉斯 - 沃斯 - 沃斯 - 沃斯堡的环境教育中心合作，致力于关注野生动植物健康的公民科学和教师教育项目。 结果将大致传播到州和联邦野生动植物机构，环保组织和公众。