RAPID PHENOTYPIC EVOLUTION THROUGH THE RESHUFFLING OF PIGMENTATION GENES

通过色素基因重组实现快速表型进化

• 批准号: 2232929
• 负责人: Leonardo Campagna
• 金额: $ 97.3万
• 依托单位: Cornell University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-01-01 至 2025-12-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2232929&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RAPID; PHENOTYPIC; EVOLUTION; THROUGH; RESHUFFLING

Speciation, or the origin of new species, is generally a slow process, originating from long periods of geographic isolation and the eventual accumulation of mutations. Rapid radiations, in which many species accumulate in a short period of time, represent rare opportunities to study the genetic and ecological contexts that lead to evolution and speciation. One possible mechanism for rapid evolution is through mixing and reassembling old genetic variants, which may already exist in other species, into novel combinations. Hybridization may provide the source for the rapid generation of new genetic combinations. This process can lead to the rapid evolution of novel traits, like coloration patterns, without the long period required for new relevant mutations to arise. Coloration is central to animal communication, mediating key behaviors like mate choice, which over time can kickstart the speciation process. This research will focus on a group of South American birds, the capuchino seedeaters (genus Sporophila). These birds are remarkably similar genetically yet are primarily differentiated at variants near genes involved in feather pigment deposition. This project will combine expertise from evolutionary biologists and materials scientists to understand how plumage coloration evolves and fuels rapid evolution. The proposed research will lead to a better understanding of the chemical, structural, and genetic mechanisms behind color production. It will also explore how these changes contribute to speciation. The project will enable student training opportunities and the results from this research will be communicated to a broad audience through popular web platforms.This research will first consist of a detailed study of the mechanisms behind color production in feathers, including the pigment composition and the nano- and micro-structural properties of feathers of different colors. This detailed understanding of coloration phenotypes will be combined with gene expression data from growing feather follicles sampled at comparable developmental times. Finally, the results from previous population genomic studies on these taxa and the new transcriptional data will be used to build a mechanistic and evolutionary model for how color diversity and patterning are generated. The broader impacts of this project include an interactive multimedia-based module on the mechanisms behind avian plumage coloration hosted by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (~10 million views per year). The project will also be used as a platform to host a workshop for students who seek to apply genomic techniques to answer their own research questions.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.

物种形成，或新物种的起源，通常是一个缓慢的过程，源于长期的地理隔离和最终突变的积累。许多物种在短时间内积累的快速辐射是研究导致进化和物种形成的遗传和生态背景的难得机会。快速进化的一种可能机制是将可能已经存在于其他物种中的旧遗传变异混合和重组成新的组合。杂交可能为快速产生新的遗传组合提供来源。这一过程可以导致新特征的快速进化，如着色模式，而不需要出现新的相关突变所需的长时间。颜色是动物交流的中心，它调节着配偶选择等关键行为，随着时间的推移，这可能会启动物种形成过程。这项研究将集中在南美洲的一群鸟--卡布奇诺种鸟(Sporophila属)上。这些鸟类在基因上非常相似，但在涉及羽毛色素沉积的基因附近的变异上存在初步差异。该项目将结合进化生物学家和材料科学家的专业知识，了解羽毛颜色是如何进化的，并为快速进化提供动力。这项拟议的研究将有助于更好地理解颜色产生背后的化学、结构和遗传机制。它还将探索这些变化如何促进物种形成。该项目将为学生提供培训机会，研究结果将通过流行的网络平台传达给广大受众。这项研究将首先包括对羽毛产生颜色背后的机制的详细研究，包括不同颜色羽毛的颜料组成和纳米和微观结构特性。这种对着色表型的详细理解将与在可比发育时间采样的生长羽毛毛囊的基因表达数据相结合。最后，以前对这些分类群的种群基因组研究的结果和新的转录数据将被用来建立一个机制和进化模型，说明颜色多样性和图案是如何产生的。该项目的更广泛影响包括由康奈尔鸟类学实验室主办的关于鸟类羽毛着色背后的机制的交互式多媒体模块(每年约有1000万次观看)。该项目还将作为一个平台，为寻求应用基因组技术来回答自己的研究问题的学生举办研讨会。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。