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

人类正在通过建造城市来迅速改变地球。生活在城市的入侵物种(即被引入到非自然发生环境中的物种)的种群可能会随着城市条件的变化而演变，这种方式可能会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破坏。然而，目前尚不清楚城市中的入侵物种是否由于城市较高的温度梯度而倾向于向特定方向进化，或者是否其他因素更重要，如种群的潜在遗传变异性，而与环境背景无关。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，这些物种对农业或其他重要的经济活动产生了负面影响。该项目还将为高中生和大学生提供各种生物学研究经验，包括那些来自科学领域代表性不足的群体的学生，从而提高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大的进化后果，有两个悬而未决的问题需要解决：(1)在城乡镶嵌体上，进化过程如何变化？(2)长期遗传变异如何调节对城市化的进化反应？研究人员将使用快速传播的入侵物种(斑点灯笼蝇，Lycorma delicatula)的基因组测序以及常见的花园实验，来建立对影响物种范围扩展的城市化的遗传变异和进化反应之间的关系的机械理解。具体地说，研究人员将使用双酶切酶切位点相关测序和低覆盖率全基因组测序来鉴定从农村和城市环境中收集的斑点灯笼蝇的基因组单核苷酸多态，这些环境来自天然范围(中国)和两个入侵范围(日本和美国)。这项研究还将为斑点灯笼蝇生成染色体水平的基因组组装，并将其与常见的花园实验进行比较，以寻找在农村和城市环境中适应进化的特征。对城市环境在入侵物种传播中的作用将获得前所未有的洞察，这将对入侵物种管理和风险评估产生影响。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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.