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: 0948787
• 负责人: Jeff Johnson
• 金额: $ 26.59万
• 依托单位: University of North Texas
• 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=0948787&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 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低的种群保持相对稳定，而另一些种群的规模却在下降。稳定的种群可能不会失去与疾病抗性相关的遗传变异，例如被称为主要组织相容性复合体（MHC）的抗性基因套件。理论表明，自然选择更有可能在经历过规模下降的种群中保持功能上重要的MHC变异。这项研究将直接估计MHC和其他免疫基因的自然选择，使用来自历史和当代大草原鸡种群的数据，大草原鸡是北美最受威胁的鸟类之一。该项目还将研究两个小种群中MHC基因变异与寄生虫、免疫力和存活率之间的关系，这两个种群正在通过易位（威斯康星州）和圈养繁殖（德克萨斯州）进行扩增，以增加遗传变异。这项研究的结果对于研究种群规模对疾病和寄生虫抗性的影响的生物学家来说是有价值的，它将为圈养繁殖和转移动物提供管理指导，这些做法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在免疫遗传学方面进行培训，该项目将为研究其他物种的免疫相关基因提供有价值的新遗传标记。pi将与密尔沃基和达拉斯-沃斯堡的环境教育中心合作，开展以野生动物健康为重点的公民科学和教师教育项目。研究结果将广泛传播给州和联邦野生动物机构、环保组织和公众。