Evolutionary Mechanisms Influencing the Spread of Hybridization: Genomics, Fitness, and Dispersal

研究人员将使用新的基因组方法来研究落基山脉北部本地割喉鲑鱼和引进的彩虹鲑鱼之间的杂交。他们的主要目标是了解遗传和进化过程如何影响种群内和种群之间的杂交。这项研究将结合实验室对基因组变异的描述、对野外适应性的研究以及对本地和杂交个体在复杂景观中的扩散速度的描述，来改变我们对杂交传播的理解。这项工作将测试由于自然选择而在种群中迅速传播的某些染色体区域的存在，还将测试杂交物种的扩散增加是否会加速杂交的传播。杂交和物种入侵提供了令人兴奋的进化实验，因为对新基因组合的自然选择可以在生态时代和不同的环境中进行研究。本土物种和外来物种之间的杂交是对全球生物多样性最严重的威胁之一。杂交率随着栖息地退化、易位和环境变化而增加。杂交种的自然选择和扩散被认为在杂交的传播中起着关键作用。然而，杂交和导入显著增加背后的机制仍不清楚。这些机制现在可以通过应用数千个遗传标记来评估杂交、适合度和扩散的基因组基础。几十年来，研究人员一直在与部落、州和联邦管理机构合作，保护本地割喉鲑鱼，防止它们与彩虹鲑鱼杂交。

The researchers will use new genomic approaches to study hybridization between native cutthroat trout and introduced rainbow trout in the northern Rocky Mountains. Their primary goal is to understand how genetic and evolutionary processes influence hybridization within and among populations. This research will transform our understanding of the spread of hybridization by combining laboratory description of genomic variation, study of fitness in the wild, and description of dispersal rates of native and hybridized individuals in complex landscapes. This work will test for the presence of certain chromosomal regions that spread rapidly among populations because of natural selection, and will also test if increased dispersal by hybrids accelerates the spread of hybridization. Hybridization and species invasions provide exciting evolutionary experiments because natural selection on novel gene combinations can be studied in ecological time and in different environments. Hybridization between native and invasive species is one of the most serious threats to global biodiversity. The rate of hybridization is increasing with habitat degradation, translocations, and environmental change. Natural selection and dispersal by hybrids are thought to play key roles in the spread of hybridization. However, the mechanisms underlying this dramatic increase in hybridization and introgression remain unknown. These mechanisms can now be assessed using the application of thousands of genetic markers to assess the genomic basis of hybridization, fitness, and dispersal. The researchers have worked in collaboration for decades with tribal, state, and federal management agencies to conserve native cutthroat trout and protect them from hybridization with rainbow trout.