Collaborative Research: Characterizing the genetics of seasonal animal migration

许多动物进行长距离的季节性迁徙，以逃离日益恶化的栖息地，开拓新的资源或逃避天敌。动物迁徙对迁徙物种的生态进化和生态系统功能产生重大影响。尽管动物迁徙很重要，但人们对这一现象背后的遗传学知之甚少。这个项目将描述季节性迁徙的遗传结构，以帝王蝶为模型系统。由于许多与迁徙有关的特征与其他物种相同，这项工作也将极大地促进我们对动物迁徙的一般理解。人们迫切需要了解帝王蝶迁徙的基因。在过去的几十年里，东部迁徙的帝王蝶的数量已经减少，有人认为这种壮观的现象可能会在不久的将来消失。为了确定黑脉金斑蝶的迁徙是否有灭绝的危险，以及非迁徙种群是否有可能重新进化迁徙，以补充日益减少的北美种群，必须彻底了解黑脉金斑蝶的迁徙遗传学。该项目还将产生各种更广泛的影响，包括培养学生和博士后研究人员，以及在公立学校、科学中心和帝王蝶节开展推广活动。季节性迁徙在动物界广泛发生，但对任何物种的迁徙遗传学都缺乏全面的了解。迁徙并不是一种单一的特征，而是一种包含多种特征的综合征，包括那些与新陈代谢、发育、感觉加工和繁殖有关的特征。帝王蝶非常适合研究迁徙，因为它们在迁徙表型上的自然变异，以及该物种遗传工具的日益可用性。黑脉金斑蝶最为人所知的是它们每年在北美东部的壮观迁徙，数百万只黑脉金斑蝶从美国和加拿大飞到墨西哥越冬地。人们不太了解的是，落基山脉以西的帝王蝶迁徙到加利福尼亚海岸的时间较短，而且帝王蝶在世界各地形成了非迁徙种群。该项目将利用这种自然发生的迁移表型变异，以获得迁移遗传学的全面观点。为了做到这一点，研究人员将在迁徙和非迁徙的帝王蝶之间进行遗传杂交，并量化亲代和第二代与迁徙相关的表型特征。他们将对帝王蝶基因组进行重测序，进行定量性状位点定位，并使用靶向基因组编辑：(1)鉴定与迁移表型相关的基因组区域和基因；(2)描述与不同迁移距离相关的行为和遗传学特征；(3)对候选迁移基因进行功能测试。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。

Many animals undergo long-distance seasonal migrations to escape deteriorating habitats, colonize new resources or escape natural enemies. Animal migration has major impacts on the ecology and evolution of migrating species as well as on ecosystem functioning. Despite the importance of animal migration, the genetics underlying this phenomenon remain poorly understood. This project will characterize the genetic architecture of seasonal migration, using monarch butterflies as a model system. Because many of the traits related to migration are shared with other species, this work will also greatly advance our general understanding of animal migration. There is also a pressing need to understand the genetics of monarch migration. The population size of eastern migratory monarchs has dwindled over the last few decades, and it has been suggested that this spectacular phenomenon may disappear in the near future. A thorough understanding of monarch migration genetics must be achieved in order to determine whether monarch migration is at risk of extinction, and whether non-migratory populations could potentially re-evolve migration to supplement the dwindling North American population. This project will also have a variety of broader impacts, including the training of students and post-doctoral researchers, and outreach activities at public schools, science centers, and monarch butterfly festivals.Seasonal migration occurs widely across the animal kingdom, but a comprehensive understanding of migration genetics is lacking for any species. Migration is not a single trait, but is better described as a syndrome that includes a variety of traits, including those involved in metabolism, development, sensory processing and reproduction. Monarch butterflies are well suited to study migration because of their naturally occurring variation in migratory phenotypes, and the growing availability of genetic tools in this species. Monarchs are best known for their spectacular annual migration in eastern North America, during which millions of monarchs fly from the US and Canada to overwintering sites in Mexico. What is less appreciated is that monarchs west of the Rocky Mountains undergo a shorter migration to the California coast, and that monarchs have formed non-migratory populations around the world. This project will capitalize on this naturally occurring variation in migration phenotypes to obtain a comprehensive view of the genetics of migration. To do this, the researchers will perform genetic crosses between migratory and non-migratory monarchs and quantify phenotypic traits related to migration in parental and F2 generations. They will re-sequence monarch genomes, perform Quantitative Trait Locus mapping and use targeted genome editing to: (1) identify genomic regions and genes associated with migration phenotypes; (2) characterize behavior and genetics associated with divergent migration distances; and (3) functionally test candidate migration genes.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.