Postdoctoral Fellowship: OCE-PRF: Ecological Genomics of Adaptation in a Rocky Shore Predator-Prey Interaction

了解性状变异的遗传基础是生物学许多领域的主要目标。然而，探索自然界中的这种变异是一个挑战，因为很少有可能将野生物种的性状差异与潜在的遗传变异联系起来，以及确定自然选择在驱动这些模式中所起的作用。与陆地上的许多植物和动物种群相反，由于海洋的广阔性质和许多海洋物种的广泛分布，海洋中的物种在历史上被认为是很好的混合，并且在大区域内遗传相似。因此，海洋环境适应性研究落后于陆地和其他生态系统。PI项目正在研究海洋中性状变异的一个引人注目的例子-一种捕食性海洋蜗牛，它可以在美国西海岸的一些地区成功地钻穿厚壳贻贝，但在其他地区则不行。拟议中的研究将是第一个将联合收割机广泛的性状数据和实验室进化实验与海洋研究系统中的生态基因组学相结合的研究。该项目将确定这种蜗牛在空间和时间上适应的遗传特征，以更好地了解海洋环境中的进化模式。此外，该项目将通过本科生导师，研究生水平的电影制作课程以及向高中生介绍生态学和进化生物学机会的小组来增加STEM的多样性，意识和可访问性。尽管海洋生态系统具有开放性，但越来越多的证据表明，许多物种在其地理范围内表现出复杂的遗传分化模式。拟议的工作建立在研究探索钻探dogwhelk，Nucella canaliculata和贻贝Mytilus californianus之间的相互作用的基础上，Mytilus californianus是一种基础物种，沿着北美西海岸形成大型贻贝床。先前的研究表明，这种海洋捕食者在其地理范围内显示出遗传控制的钻井能力变化。该项目有三个目标：1）确定低分散无脊椎动物种群间的迁移和基因流水平，2）使用环境数据和实验室饲养个体的详细表型数据识别选择的基因组模式，包括研究平行适应的潜在机制，3）识别通过早期饮食变化在实验室实验中施加的快速适应和选择的特征。调查这些基因组变异模式将使我们更好地了解海洋环境中选择力的性质以及随着气候条件变化而快速适应的潜力。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得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来支持。

Understanding the genetic basis of trait variation is a major goal for many fields of biology. However, exploring this variation in nature is a challenge because it is seldom possible to link trait differences in wild species to underlying genetic variation, as well as determine the role that natural selection plays in driving these patterns. In contrast to many plant and animal populations on land, those in the sea were historically thought to be well mixed and genetically similar across large regions because of the expansive nature of the ocean and the broad dispersal of many marine species. Thus, studies of adaptation in marine environments have lagged behind those on land in and other ecosystems. The project PI is studying a striking example of trait variation in the sea – a predatory marine snail that can successfully drill through thick-shelled mussels in some regions of the west coast of the United States, but not in others. The proposed research will be one of the first to combine extensive trait data and laboratory evolution experiments with ecological genomics in a marine study system. This project will identify genetic signatures of adaptation across space and time in this snail to better understand patterns of evolution in the marine environment. In addition, this project will increase diversity, awareness, and accessibility of STEM through undergraduate mentorship, graduate level filmmaking courses, and a panel to introduce high school students to opportunities in ecology and evolutionary biology. Despite the open nature of marine ecosystems, there is growing evidence that many species display complex patterns of genetic differentiation across their geographic range. The proposed work builds on research exploring the interaction between the drilling dogwhelk, Nucella canaliculata, and the mussel Mytilus californianus, a foundation species that forms large mussel beds along the west coast of North America. Previous research has shown that this marine predator displays genetically controlled variation in drilling ability across its geographic range. This project has three goals: 1) determine the level of migration and gene flow among populations of a low dispersing invertebrate, 2) identify genomic patterns of selection using environmental data and detailed phenotypic data from lab-reared individuals, including investigating potential mechanisms of parallel adaptation, and 3) identify signatures of rapid adaptation and selection imposed in laboratory experiments by variation in early-life diet. Investigating these patterns of genomic variation will allow us to better understand the nature of selective forces in marine environments and the potential for rapid adaptation as climatic conditions change.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.