DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Linking genes to cues: How molecular mechanisms explain individual variation of adaptive plasticity to an environmental cue

这项研究将调查火蜥蜴如何通过适应新环境来应对气候变化。调整生理特征的能力对两栖动物来说可能特别重要，因为它们是地球上最受威胁的动物群体之一。两栖动物同时使用陆地和水生环境，因此对气候变化造成的环境退化特别敏感。不幸的是，尽管人们对应对气候变化的兴趣与日俱增，但我们对火蜥蜴种群在不断变化的条件下将如何生存知之甚少。该项目的目标是识别可能有助于火蜥蜴适应环境变化能力的基因。这项研究将有助于确定火蜥蜴种群是否能够进化出更强的能力来应对多变的环境。这项研究还将为代表性不足的大学生提供机会，让他们在两栖生物领域开发独立的、以探究为基础的项目。为了应对气候变化，生物必须适应、适应、迁徙，否则可能面临灭绝。适应是种群世代间可遗传的进化变化。适应是个体动物一生中发生的变化。如果个体的适应能力不同，由于自然选择创造了适应的能力，适应能力的提高本身可能会进化。这项研究将确定南方灰脸颊蜥蜴(Plethodon Metcalfi)个体调节失水率的能力，以适应温度和湿度。采用时程实验设计，这项研究将确定适应和不适应的个体之间的基因表达差异，并确定火蜥蜴用来减少随着温度变化而失去水分的基因。一旦确定了这些基因，这项研究将把这些基因的活性与改变水分流失的特定生理反应联系起来。其结果将是加深对适应和适应环境线索的遗传基础的理解。

This research will investigate how salamanders respond to climate change by acclimating to new environments. The capacity to adjust physiological traits may be especially important for amphibians because they are one of the most threatened groups of animals on the planet. Amphibians use both terrestrial and aquatic environments and thus are particularly sensitive to environmental degradation due to climate change. Unfortunately, despite increased interest in response to climate change, we know very little about how salamander populations will fare under changing conditions. The goal of this project is to identify genes that may contribute to a salamander's ability to accommodate environmental change. This study will help determine if salamander populations can evolve an increased capacity to deal with variable environments. The study will also provide underrepresented college students the opportunity to develop independent, inquiry-based projects in amphibian biology. In response to climate change, organisms must adapt, acclimate, migrate, or potentially face extinction. Adaptation is a heritable evolutionary change of a population over generations. Acclimation is change that happens within the lifetime of an individual animal. If individuals vary in their capacity to acclimate, increased acclimation ability might itself evolve due to natural selection creating an adaptation of acclimation. The study will determine the capacity of individual Southern grey-cheeked salamander (Plethodon metcalfi) to adjust rates of water loss in response to temperature and humidity. Using a time-course experimental design, the study will identify differences in gene expression between individuals that acclimate and individuals that do not acclimate and identify the genes that the salamanders use to reduce rates of water loss as temperature changes. Upon identifying these genes, the study will link the activity of those genes to specific physiological responses that alter water loss. The result will be an increased understanding of the genetic basis of acclimation and adaptation to environmental cues.