RoL:FELS:EAGER: The genetic architecture of biomechanical integration in fishes

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Animals must coordinate the function of multiple body parts and/or systems in order to accomplish a task. For example, the coordination of visual and locomotor systems is critical for animals that actively hunt mobile prey. For fishes, both the locomotor and feedings systems must be coordinated in order to accurately capture prey in the water. How this coordination impacts survival, or how it differs depending on ecological conditions, is unknown. Furthermore, the genetic basis of this functional integration is a mystery. In fact, almost nothing is known about the genes that control behavioral traits in non-human animals. The three-spine stickleback system is used for uncovering these relationships because they have repeatedly invaded isolated freshwater habitats from a common marine ancestor. This has resulted in the rapid parallel evolution of populations over a relatively short period of time (since the last glacial period). This natural experiment provides the framework from which to discover the specific genes that underlie complex behavioral integration during tasks that are critical for survival. This project will expand the boundaries of evolutionary theory and provide a basis from which to conduct future studies on complex behaviors. This research can translate to any animal system, including humans. The project will provide research training and international field experiences to student and postdoctoral investigators, including those from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in the STEM disciplines.Investigating the evolution of natural populations that diverge to exploit different ecological resources is an important objective in evolutionary biology. Most studies that examine the link between genetics and phenotype focus on morphological differences among species and populations. However, evolutionary changes in behavior are often considered integral in initiating adaptive shifts, whereby populations or species may exhibit a variety of habitat selection strategies to use resources and may differ in the behavioral traits used to exploit those resources. Behavioral traits critical for survival, such as prey capture or predator evasion, emerge from the integration of parts and systems within an organism, causing quantitative phenotypic traits to often co-vary with one another. Little is known about the genetic architecture of behavioral traits in vertebrates, and even less is known about the architecture of behavioral integration. Leveraging the extensive information regarding the ecology and evolution of the threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), the genetic architecture of dynamic functional integration between locomotion and feeding during prey capture will be determined. This will be done using the parallel evolution of freshwater populations that have diverged from a marine ancestor. The genetic architecture underlying these behavioral traits will be examined by sequencing a number of crosses between populations (and obtaining QTLs), and then linking this to biomechanical phenotypes (using high-speed 3D video). The importance of integration will be assessed using a strike accuracy assay and other measures of capture success. This integrative approach may lead to new insight into the evolution of complex phenotypes.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.