CAREER: Landscape genomics of co-evolution: a test in carpenter ants (Genus Camponotus) and their microbial symbionts

对两种生物都有积极影响的相互作用-互惠-塑造了许多分类群的生态和进化。在整个景观中，互利主义者的进化可能是由环境特征塑造的;然而，很少有研究量化了共同分布的互利主义者对如何在整个景观中表现出相似或不同的共同进化动态。利用共同分布的北美木蚁及其互利共生微生物共生体，研究人员将量化具有重叠地理范围的互利共生对是否以相似的方式共同多样化和共同进化，如通过趋同或趋异的遗传模式所测量的那样。因此，这个项目将提供关于环境压力如何塑造互利主义者的进化模式和过程的见解。该项目产生的标本、基因组数据和结果将用于改善STEM教育;教育部分包括（1）基因组学研究的正式本科生和研究生培训，（2）德克萨斯理工大学以研究为重点的基因组学和分子生态学课程的开发和扩展，以及（3）德克萨斯理工大学博物馆的博物馆教育材料，包括展览和教育旅行箱。该研究小组将测试关于共同多样化和共同进化的比较模式及其在蚂蚁宿主及其内共生体中的可预测性的假设。利用木蚁宿主的全基因组序列数据（Camponotus属）及其内共生体（Blochmannia属）横跨北美的景观，研究人员将测量这两个互惠伙伴的遗传变异，以（1）利用景观基因组学技术描述蚂蚁/共生体基因型与环境之间的关系，（2）测试蚂蚁和内共生体基因组共同进化的假设，以及共同进化的局部适应是否可预测。该项目的最终产品将包括自然历史收藏中数千个标本的沉积，几种木蚁及其细菌内共生体的开放基因组资源，通过演示文稿和手稿进行结果的科学交流，以及学生培训研究的各个方面，包括实地研究，基因组序列生成，生物信息学，该奖项反映了NSF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。

Interactions with positive impacts for both organisms—mutualisms—shape the ecology and evolution of many taxa. Across a landscape, evolution of mutualists may be shaped by environmental characteristics; however, little research has quantified how co-distributed mutualist pairs exhibit similar or different coevolutionary dynamics across the landscape. Using co-distributed North American carpenter ants and their mutualist microbial symbionts, the researchers will quantify whether mutualist pairs with overlapping geographic ranges are codiversifying and coevolving in similar manners, as measured by convergent or divergent genetic patterns. Consequently, this project will provide insight about how environmental pressures shape evolutionary patterns and processes in mutualists. The specimens, genomic data, and results generated by this project will be used to improve STEM education; educational components include (1) formal undergraduate and graduate training in genomics research, (2) development and expansion of research-focused genomics and molecular ecology courses at Texas Tech University, and (3) museum-based educational materials at the Museum of Texas Tech University, including both an exhibit and educational traveling trunks. The research team will test hypotheses about comparative patterns of codiversification and coevolution and their predictability in ant hosts and their endosymbionts. Using whole-genome sequence data from carpenter ant hosts (genus Camponotus) and their endosymbionts (genus Blochmannia) across the landscape of North America, the researchers will measure genetic variation in both mutualist partners to (1) characterize associations between ant / symbiont genotypes and the environment using landscape genomics techniques and (2) test hypotheses about coevolution of ant and endosymbiont genomes and whether coevolutionary local adaptation is predictable. The project’s final products will include deposition of thousands of specimens in natural history collections, open genomic resources for several species of carpenter ants and their bacterial endosymbionts, science communication of results via presentations and manuscripts, and student training in all aspects of the research including field studies, genomic sequence generation, bioinformatics, and dissemination.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.