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，也很少有可能确定自然选择在驱动这些模式中所起的作用。与陆地上的许多动植物种群相反，由于海洋的广阔性质和许多海洋物种的广泛分布，历史上认为海洋中的动植物种群在大范围内混合得很好，基因相似。因此，对海洋环境适应的研究落后于对陆地和其他生态系统的研究。PI项目正在研究海洋特征变异的一个显著例子——一种掠食性海蜗牛，它可以在美国西海岸的某些地区成功地钻穿厚壳贻贝，但在其他地区却不行。拟议的研究将是第一个将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之一。该项目将识别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指导、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，增加STEM的多样性、意识和可及性。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。这项提议的工作建立在对钻探狗螺（Nucella canaliculata）和贻贝（Mytilus californianus）之间相互作用的研究之上，贻贝是北美西海岸形成大型贻贝床的基础物种。先前的研究表明，这种海洋捕食者在其地理范围内的钻探能力表现出基因控制的变化。该项目有三个目标：1)确定低分散无脊椎动物种群之间的迁移和基因流动水平；2)利用环境数据和实验室培养个体的详细表型数据确定选择的基因组模式，包括研究平行适应的潜在机制；3)在实验室实验中通过早期饮食的变化确定快速适应和选择的特征。研究这些基因组变异模式将使我们能够更好地理解海洋环境中选择性力量的本质，以及随着气候条件的变化而快速适应的潜力。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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。

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.