BRC-BIO: Effects of urbanization on the evolutionary dynamics of invasive species range expansion

人类正在通过建设城市迅速改变地球。生活在城市中的入侵物种（即被引入到非自然发生环境的物种）种群可能会根据城市条件而进化，从而导致它们传播得更快，变得更难控制，并对农业和本地植物和野生动物造成损害。然而，尚不清楚城市中的入侵物种是否由于城市温度梯度较高而倾向于向特定方向进化，或者其他因素是否更重要，如种群的潜在遗传变异，而不考虑环境设置。这项研究将产生关于城市如何以及为什么影响入侵物种传播的关键数据。城市规划者和野生动物管理者将能够利用这些数据来帮助防止入侵物种的传播，这些入侵物种会对农业或其他重要的经济活动产生负面影响。该项目还将为高中生和大学生提供各种生物研究经验，包括那些来自科学领域代表性不足的群体的学生，从而增强STEM的多样性、公平性和包容性。关于城市化对入侵物种范围扩张的进化后果，有两个悬而未决的问题需要解决：(1)城乡之间的进化过程是如何变化的？(2)直立性遗传变异如何介导城市化的进化响应？研究人员将对一种快速传播的入侵物种（斑点灯笼蝇，Lycorma delicatula）进行基因组测序，并进行普通的花园实验，以建立一种机制理解，了解常住遗传变异与影响物种范围扩张的城市化进化反应之间的关系。具体而言，研究人员将使用双消化限制性内切位点相关测序和低覆盖全基因组测序来鉴定斑点灯笼蝇的全基因组单核苷酸多态性，这些斑点灯笼蝇采集自中国原产地（中国）和两个入侵地（日本和美国）的农村和城市环境。这项研究还将产生斑点灯笼蝇的染色体水平基因组组装，并将其与普通的花园实验进行比较，以寻找农村和城市环境中适应性进化的特征。对城市环境在入侵物种传播中的作用将获得前所未有的见解，对入侵物种管理和风险评估具有重要意义。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。

Humans are rapidly changing the planet by building cities. Populations of invasive species (i.e., species that have been introduced to an environment where they do not naturally occur) that live in cities may evolve in response to urban conditions in ways that may cause them to spread faster, become harder to control, and cause damage to agriculture and native plants and wildlife. However, it is not known if invasive species in cities tend to evolve in particular directions due to higher urban temperature gradients, or if other factors are more important, like the underlying genetic variability of populations, regardless of the environmental setting. This research will generate critical data on how and why cities affect the spread of invasive species. City planners and wildlife managers will be able to use the data to help prevent the spread of invasive species that negatively impact agriculture or other economically important activities. This project will also provide a variety of biology research experiences for high school and college students, including those from groups who are underrepresented in the sciences and thereby enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM.Two outstanding questions regarding the evolutionary consequences of urbanization for invasive species range expansion require resolution: (1) How do evolutionary processes vary across the rural-urban mosaic? (2) How does standing genetic variation mediate evolutionary responses to urbanization? The researcher will use genomic sequencing of a rapidly spreading invasive species (spotted lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula) as well as common garden experiments to build a mechanistic understanding of relationships between standing genetic variation and evolutionary responses to urbanization that affect species range expansions. Specifically, the researcher will use double-digest restriction site associated sequencing and low coverage whole genome sequencing to identify genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms of spotted lanternflies collected from rural and urban environments in the native range (China) and two invasive ranges (Japan and the United States of America). This research will also generate a chromosome-level genome assembly for the spotted lanternfly which will be compared with common garden experiments to look for signatures of adaptive evolution in rural and urban environments. Unprecedented insight into the role of urban environments in the spread of invasive species will be gained, with implications for invasive species management and risk assessment.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.