RII Track-2FEC: Genomic Ecology of Coastal Organisms (GECO)? A Systems-Based Research and Training Program in Genome-Phenome Relationships in the Wild

这项研究和基础设施改进Track-2重点EPSCoR合作（RII Track-2 FEC）奖利用新罕布什尔大学和缅因州大学的互补研究专业知识，对自然系统中的基因组现象进行综合研究。该项目团队将制定一项沿海生物基因组生态学（GECO）的研究和培训计划，以促进对生物对自然环境反应的遗传基础的了解。该项目将基因组技术与六种居住在沿海生态系统恶劣环境梯度的潮汐沼泽鸟类的野外生态和观测数据相结合。该研究将揭示在全基因组水平上适应的遗传基础，以及基因型、表型和环境之间的联系，从而产生机体性能和适应性。这些都是当今进化生物学的关键问题，这些问题只能通过对动态自然环境中野生种群的研究来解决。因此，该项目将促进对进化生物学中长期存在的问题的理解，并为生物恢复力和适应能力的遗传因素和机制提供新的见解。后者对于预测生物体对快速变化的环境的反应非常重要。为促进社会效益，本工程的保育影响会直接传达给资源管理者及其他持份者。该项目为团队提供了广泛的培训和指导机会，旨在培养在所有生物尺度上都擅长系统级思维的专业人员。教育活动包括在生态基因组学方面编制新的研究生培训证书，在本科一级编制主动学习模块，旨在解决遗传学、生态学和进化方面的已知概念困难。其他拓展项目将为来自代表性不足的低收入群体和农村地区的高中生提供以生态适应和沿海生态系统为重点的学习经验。技术描述在我们对基因组与表型关系的理解中，最大的差距之一是这些相互作用是如何在自由生物中受到环境力量的驱动和约束的。新罕布什尔大学和缅因州大学之间的这个合作项目通过海岸生物基因组生态学（GECO）的研究和培训项目解决了这一知识鸿沟，重点是推进对生物对自然环境反应的遗传基础的理解。该计划的系统级方法将基因组，转录组学和表型数据与生物体性能和适应性联系起来，使用在动态沿海生态系统中经历平行进化过程的六种潮汐沼泽鸟类。该研究将促进对进化生物学中长期存在的问题的理解，如适应的遗传基础和基因组结构，系统发育对平行进化的影响，以及表型可塑性和遗传适应的相对作用。它还将为生物恢复力和适应能力的遗传因素和机制，以及基因组和表型变异对生态群落和生态系统的延伸影响提供新的见解。由此产生的见解需要预测生物体对快速变化的未来环境的反应，这是一个具有重要社会效益的关键和及时的科学目标。这项研究的保护意义将迅速转移给州、联邦和非政府组织的利益相关者，重点是将研究转化为实地行动。该项目为早期职业教师、博士后助理以及众多研究生和本科生提供生态基因组学方面的培训和指导。它创造了从基因组到表型适应的研究生证书；主动学习、系统级的本科遗传学、生态学、进化论课程教学模块；以及为博士后和早期职业教师提供STEM教学培训。多元化行动计划指导项目成员的招募和保留，基于stem的外展项目将使来自代表性不足的低收入群体和农村地区的高中生接触到科学工具和研究。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Nontechnical DescriptionThis Research and Infrastructure Improvement Track-2 Focused EPSCoR Collaborations (RII Track-2 FEC) award harnesses complementary research expertise at the Universities of New Hampshire and Maine for an integrated study of genomes to phenomes in natural systems. The project team will develop a research and training program in the Genomic Ecology of Coastal Organisms (GECO) to advance understanding of the genetic bases of organismal responses to natural environments. The program integrates genomic technologies with field-based ecological and observational data of six species of tidal marsh birds inhabiting a harsh environmental gradient in a coastal ecosystem. The research will reveal insights into the genetic basis of adaptation at a genome-wide level and the links between genotype, phenotype and environment in the context of resulting organismal performance and fitness. These are key questions in evolutionary biology today, which can only be pursued through studies like this one of wild populations in dynamic, natural environments. The project will thereby advance understanding of long-standing questions in evolutionary biology as well as provide novel insight into genetic elements and mechanisms that underlie organismal resilience and adaptive capacity. The latter are important for predicting organismal responses to rapidly changing environments. To facilitate societal benefit, conservation implications of this project will be transferred directly to resource managers and other stakeholders. The project provides extensive training and mentoring opportunities for the team aimed at producing professionals adept at systems-level thinking at all biological scales. Educational activities include the development of a new graduate training certificate in ecological genomics and at the undergraduate-level, the development of active-learning modules aimed at addressing known conceptual difficulties in genetics, ecology, and evolution. Additional outreach programs will provide high school students from underrepresented low-income groups and rural areas with learning experiences focused on ecological adaptation and coastal ecosystems. Technical DescriptionOne of the largest gaps in our understanding of genome to phenome relationships is how these interactions are driven and constrained by environmental forces in free-living organisms. This collaborative project between the Universities of New Hampshire and Maine addresses this knowledge gap through a research and training program in the Genomic Ecology of Coastal Organisms (GECO), focused on advancing understanding of the genetic bases of organismal responses to natural environments. The systems-level approach of this program links genomic, transcriptomic, and phenotypic data to organismal performance and fitness, using six tidal marsh bird species undergoing parallel evolutionary processes in a dynamic coastal ecosystem. The research will advance understanding of long-standing questions in evolutionary biology about the genetic bases and genomic architecture of adaptation, the influence of phylogeny on parallel evolution, and the relative roles of phenotypic plasticity and genetic adaptation. It will also provide novel insight into genetic elements and mechanisms that underlie organismal resilience and adaptive capacity, as well as the extended effects of genome and phenome variation for ecological communities and ecosystems. The resulting insights are needed for predicting organismal responses to rapidly changing future environments, a critical and timely scientific goal with important societal benefits. Conservation implications of this research will be rapidly transferred to stakeholders from state, federal, and non-governmental organization with a focus on translating research into on-the-ground actions. The program provides training and mentoring for early career faculty, postdoctoral associates and numerous graduate and undergraduate students in ecological genomics. It creates a graduate certificate in Genome to Phenome Adaptation; active-learning, systems-level teaching modules for undergraduate genetics, ecology, and evolution courses; and STEM pedagogical training for post-docs and early career faculty. A Diversity Action Plan guides recruitment and retention of program members and STEM-based outreach programs will expose high school students from underrepresented low-income groups and rural areas to scientific tools and research.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.