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，起源于长期的地理隔离和突变的最终积累。快速辐射使许多物种在短时间内积累，这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。快速进化的一个可能机制是通过混合和重组旧的遗传变异，这些变异可能已经存在于其他物种中，成为新的组合。杂交可以为新的遗传组合的快速产生提供来源。这一过程可以导致新特征的快速进化，如颜色模式，而不需要很长的时间来产生新的相关突变。颜色是动物交流的核心，调节着诸如配偶选择等关键行为，随着时间的推移，这些行为可以启动物种形成过程。这项研究将集中在一组南美鸟类，capuchino seedeater（属Sporophila）。这些鸟类在遗传上非常相似，但主要在涉及羽毛色素沉积的基因附近的变体上有所区别。这个项目将结合进化生物学家和材料科学家的联合收割机专业知识，以了解羽毛颜色是如何进化和推动快速进化的。这项研究将有助于更好地了解颜色产生背后的化学、结构和遗传机制。它还将探讨这些变化如何有助于物种形成。该项目将为学生提供培训机会，并将通过流行的网络平台向广大受众传达本研究的结果。本研究将首先详细研究羽毛颜色产生背后的机制，包括不同颜色羽毛的色素组成以及纳米和微观结构特性。这种详细的了解着色表型将结合基因表达数据，在可比的发展时间从不断增长的羽毛毛囊采样。最后，从以前的人口基因组研究这些类群和新的转录数据的结果将被用来建立一个机制和进化模型的颜色多样性和图案的产生。该项目的更广泛的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机制的交互式多媒体模块（每年约1000万次浏览）。该项目还将作为一个平台，为寻求应用基因组技术回答自己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价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。