CAREER: Genomic and Morphological Divergence During Speciation in a Hyper-Diverse Marine Fish Clade

该奖项的部分资金来自《2021年美国救援计划法案》(公法117-2)。了解产生生物多样性的进化机制对于长期保护和管理物种至关重要。地球上的生物多样性很大程度上是通过适应性辐射产生的，在这个过程中，一群生物多样化地形成了许多具有不同生态角色的新物种。然而，我们缺乏对这些事件背后的基因组变化的透彻了解，特别是在没有明显迁徙障碍的海洋生态系统中。岩鱼属的岩鱼是一类高度多样化(110种)的鱼类，生活在各种深度和栖息地，使它们成为研究多样化动态的极佳模式。这个职业项目将通过研究岩鱼物种形成的基因组过程，以及伴随而来的姐妹物种在栖息地、体型、大小和颜色方面的变化，促进我们对物种多样性的理解。这一研究计划与教育活动相结合，包括本科生研究机会和教师培训，目的是为科学和工程领域强大而多样化的劳动力做出贡献。这项研究将把基因组数据与表型多样性、生态学和生物地理学的信息结合起来，以全面了解这种物种极其丰富的属的多样性动态。该项目的第一个目标是利用系统发育学方法构建最新的、经过时间校准的岩鱼系统发育框架。在第二个目标中，全基因组测序将被用来推断共生物种对之间可能的分歧情景，描述基因组分化的模式，并在物种形成事件和海洋学数据的背景下重建谱系的人口历史。第三个目标将通过评估一套栖息地因素和数量表型特征上姐妹物种之间的重叠来检查基因组和生态形态差异之间的对应关系。这些研究目标将与教育目标相结合，通过发展一套以课堂为基础的本科生研究经验，并创建一个专注于生物多样性和进化遗传学的学习和指导社区。该项目还将通过聘用和培训职前教师学习进化生物学和研究的原理，支持农村社区K12 STEM教师的发展。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award is funded in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).Understanding the evolutionary mechanisms that generate biodiversity is crucial for conserving and managing species over the long term. Much of the planet’s biodiversity has been generated through adaptive radiation, a process in which a group of organisms diversifies into many new species with different ecological roles. However, we lack a thorough understanding of the genomic changes underlying these events, particularly in marine ecosystems where there are no obvious barriers to migration. Rockfishes in the genus Sebastes are a highly diverse (110 species) group of fishes that live across a range of depths and habitats, making them an excellent model for studying the dynamics of diversification. This CAREER project will advance our understanding of how species diversify by examining the genomic processes underlying speciation in rockfishes, as well as the accompanying shifts in habitat, body shape, size and color among sister species. This research program is integrated with educational activities, including undergraduate research opportunities and teacher training, with the goal of contributing to a strong and diverse workforce in science and engineering. This study will combine genomic data with information on phenotypic diversity, ecology and biogeography to develop a holistic understanding of the dynamics of diversification in this extraordinarily species-rich genus. The first aim of the project is to construct an updated, time-calibrated phylogenetic framework for rockfishes using phylogenomic methods. In the second aim, whole genome sequencing will be used to infer likely divergence scenarios among sympatric species pairs, characterize patterns of genomic differentiation, and reconstruct demographic histories of lineages in the context of speciation events and oceanographic data. The third aim will examine the correspondence between genomic and ecomorphological divergence by assessing overlap between sister species across a suite of habitat factors and quantitative phenotypic characters. These research aims will be integrated with educational objectives via the development of a scaffolded set of classroom-based undergraduate research experiences, and the creation of a learning and mentoring community focused around biodiversity and evolutionary genetics. The project will also support the development of K12 STEM teachers in rural communities by engaging and training pre-service teachers in the principles of evolutionary biology 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.