DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Transposable element dynamics across reproductive modes and ploidy levels in natural populations

这个项目调查了一种重要的突变(转座元件)是如何受到繁殖模式和细胞中染色体组数量的影响的。转座元件(通常被称为“跳跃基因”)是跨基因组自我复制的DNA序列。它们可以促进基因组扩张，是快速适应性进化的来源。此外，转座子在所有生物体中都存在，并可能在进化中发挥核心作用，但染色体数量(或其他因素)如何影响转座子的积累和进化尚不清楚。该项目解决了这些基本问题，并与所有对基因组结构感兴趣的科学家有关。研究人员还参与了Project Lead项目，为高中生开发基因组和分子进化课程。用池测序方法对新西兰淡水蜗牛Potamopygus anitopodarum进行测序，以测试繁殖方式和倍性水平对转座子进化动态的影响。这种蜗牛物种非常适合该项目，因为在其他情况下，类似的共存蜗牛在繁殖模式和倍性方面会有所不同。个体池的全基因组测序是解决群体基因组问题的一种经济有效的手段，并使这一关于繁殖模式和倍性对转座元件进化动态的全基因组影响的新测试成为可能。

This project investigates how an important kind of mutation (transposable elements) is impacted by reproductive mode and the number of chromosome sets in a cell. Transposable elements (often called "jumping genes") are sequences of DNA that self-replicate across genomes. They can contribute to genome expansion and are a source for rapid adaptive evolution. In addition, transposable elements are found in all organisms and likely play central roles in evolution, but how chromosome number (or other factors) influences the accumulation and evolution of transposable elements is unclear. This project addresses these fundamental questions and is relevant to all scientists interested in genome structure. Researchers are also involved in Project Lead the Way to develop genomic and molecular evolution lessons for high school students. A pool-sequencing approach will be applied to a New Zealand freshwater snail, Potamopygus anitopodarum, to test the effects of reproductive mode and ploidy level on transposable elements' evolutionary dynamics. This snail species is ideally suited for the project because otherwise similar coexisting snails vary in reproductive mode and ploidy. Whole-genome sequencing of pools of individuals is a cost-effective means for addressing population genomic questions and enables this novel test of genome-wide effects of reproductive mode and ploidy on the evolutionary dynamics of transposable elements.