Dissertation Research: Adaptive responses to urbanization in the tropical lizard Anolis cristatellus

该项目将研究热带蜥蜴（Anolis cristatellus）对城市环境的适应过程。城市化涉及剧烈的栖息地改变，这往往对生物多样性产生负面影响，但少数植物和动物有能力持续生存并茁壮成长。因此，了解这些生物如何适应城市化对于预测未来生物圈的变化是必要的。前人的研究表明，凤梨通过形态和生理的变化来适应城市环境。这个项目将确定与这种适应有关的基因。研究结果将对这种物种和其他物种快速适应当代环境的遗传基础提供新的见解，并将为人类活动日益改变的世界的保护决策提供信息。该项目还将培训本科生，包括来自科学领域代表性不足的群体的个人，并将创建一个公民科学项目，对波多黎各的城市野生动物进行编目。本研究采用基因组学方法来识别与城市适应相关的先前未知的性状变化。该项目将使用基因组技术来定位波多黎各原生地区城市和森林种群蜥蜴的转录基因。将使用三种常见的方法来检测遗传水平上的自然选择：种群间分化的测量，选择性扫描的识别，以及具有功能改变多态性的基因区域的识别。这些方法将有助于识别被选择的基因区域、城市和森林种群之间的差异适应反应以及城市种群之间的平行适应反应。此外，该研究将确定基因区域在选择下的功能关联，并将测试选择位点与城市和自然栖息地之间的环境差异之间的相关性。

This project will study the process of adaptation to urban environments by the tropical lizard, Anolis cristatellus. Urbanization involves drastic habitat modifications that very frequently has negative effects on biodiversity, but a few plants and animals have the ability to persist and thrive. Understanding how these organisms are adapting to urbanization is therefore necessary for predicting future changes to the biosphere. Prior research has shown that Anolis cristatellus has adapted to urban environment through changes in its morphology and physiology. This project will identify genes associated with that adaptation. the result will be new insights into the genetic basis of rapid contemporary adaptation in this and other species and will inform conservation decisions in a world increasingly transformed by human activity. The project will also train undergraduate students, including individuals from groups underrepresented in the sciences, and will create a citizen science project to catalogue urban wildlife in Puerto Rico. This research employs a genomic approach to identify previously unknown trait shifts related to urban adaptation. The project will use genomic techniques to target transcribed genes of lizards from urban and forest populations across its native range in Puerto Rico. Three common approaches to detect natural selection at the genetic level will be used: the measurement of between-population differentiation, the identification of selective sweeps, and the identification of gene regions with function-altering polymorphism. These methods will enable the identification of gene regions under selection, differential adaptive responses between urban and forest populations, and parallel adaptive responses between urban populations. In addition, the research will identify functional associations of gene regions under selection and will test for correlations between loci under selection and environmental differences between urban and natural habitats.