EAGER: The Genomic Landscape of Species Divergence in an Extraordinary Avian Radiation

EAGER：非凡鸟类辐射中物种分化的基因组景观

• 批准号: 1446085
• 负责人: Michael Sorenson
• 金额: $ 14.99万
• 依托单位: Trustees of Boston University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-07-15 至 2018-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1446085&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: EAGER; Genomic; Landscape; Species; Divergence

Speciation, in which one ancestral population gives rise to two or more descendant species with distinct characteristics, is the fundamental evolutionary process generating the diversity of life on earth. This project will harness recent advances in DNA sequencing technology to examine in unprecedented detail the ways in which history, geography and natural selection combine to produce the genetic changes responsible for the evolution of new species. This is basic research that aims to advance the new field of speciation genomics and increase fundamental knowledge of the natural world, while testing the hypothesis that natural selection on a small number of genes is sufficient to generate new species. The project will also generate important data for setting conservation priorities, provide advanced training in molecular and computational biology for a graduate student, and create opportunities for engaging students and the general public in modern genomics research with an accessible example involving birds.This research focuses on twelve finch species (genus Lonchura) that represent one of the most extraordinary cases of recent and rapid diversification in birds. With a diversity of plumage patterns and replicate examples of closely related species living in the same geographic regions, this group is ideally suited for addressing fundamental questions about the genomics of speciation. Whole genome sequencing combined with targeted re-sequencing will be used to characterize patterns of genetic diversity and divergence among species and populations in the Lonchura radiation and to: 1) assess the number, size and location of genomic regions (i.e., genes) diverging early in the speciation process; and 2) test alternative models for the origin and history of genetic variants (i.e., alleles) in these regions. The general hypothesis that each species' phenotype has evolved through the fixation of genetic variants at a small number of genes and that the phylogenetic history of these genes is largely decoupled from genome-wide patterns of genetic variation will be tested. Of particular interest is the possibility that novel genetic variants have been transferred between species via hybridization, resulting in novel phenotypes generated by unique combinations of alleles across a small subset of genomic loci.

物种形成是一个祖先种群产生两个或两个以上具有不同特征的后代物种的基本进化过程，它产生了地球上生命的多样性。该项目将利用DNA测序技术的最新进展，以前所未有的详细程度研究历史、地理和自然选择联合收割机如何结合在一起，产生导致新物种进化的遗传变化。这是一项基础研究，旨在推进物种形成基因组学的新领域，增加对自然世界的基本知识，同时验证少数基因的自然选择足以产生新物种的假设。该项目还将产生重要的数据，以确定保护的优先事项，为研究生提供分子和计算生物学方面的高级培训，并创造机会，让学生和公众参与现代基因组学研究与一个可访问的例子涉及鸟类。这项研究的重点是12种雀（属Lonchura），代表了一个最不寻常的情况下，最近和快速多样化的鸟类。由于羽毛图案的多样性和生活在同一地理区域的密切相关物种的复制实例，这一组非常适合解决有关物种形成基因组学的基本问题。全基因组测序与靶向重测序相结合将用于表征文竹属辐射中物种和种群之间的遗传多样性和趋异模式，并用于：1）评估基因组区域的数量、大小和位置（即，基因）在物种形成过程的早期分化;以及2）测试遗传变体的起源和历史的替代模型（即，等位基因）在这些区域。每个物种的表型都是通过在少数基因上固定遗传变异而进化的，这些基因的系统发育历史在很大程度上与全基因组遗传变异模式无关，这一普遍假设将得到检验。特别令人感兴趣的是，新的遗传变异已经通过杂交在物种之间转移，从而导致由跨越一小部分基因组基因座的等位基因的独特组合产生的新表型的可能性。