Color polymorphism in a Hawaiian spider species: Using genomic tools to identify the molecular basis of adaptation

夏威夷蜘蛛物种的颜色多态性：使用基因组工具确定适应的分子基础

• 批准号: 263629766
• 负责人: Professor Dr. Henrik Krehenwinkel
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Fach Biogeographie
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Research Fellowships
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 德国
• 起止时间: 2013-12-31 至 2016-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/263629766?language=en
• 关键词: Color; polymorphism; Hawaiian; spider; species

Color polymorphisms in plants and animals are of major biological significance and have been subject to considerable research. While the evolutionary importance of coloration is undisputed and well understood, little is known about its molecular basis. Here, I propose a research project to elucidate the genetic basis of an adaptive color polymorphism in a spider species, the Hawaiian happy face spider Theridion grallator. All populations of this species are distinguished by a balanced color polymorphism, which is maintained by negative frequency dependent selection. Theridion grallator is an ideal model for unraveling the molecular basis of polymorphic coloration and for research into the convergent evolution of polymorphisms. It has been well studied over the past decades, and several genomic and molecular genetic resources have been developed for the species. The color polymorphism has a simple genetic basis and morphological architecture, yet has arisen independently at least two times on different islands of the Hawaiian archipelago. Moreover, several other spider species, both closely and distantly related, have developed convergent color polymorphisms. I aim to identify the causal loci for color variation in the happy face spider and plan to approach this task in two steps. First, I will use a combination of population genomics, different genetic mapping strategies, and ecological field experiments, to identify a set of candidate loci. Second, I will use functional genetic tests to uncover direct associations of gene expression and phenotypic divergence. Besides providing insights into the molecular basis of color polymorphism, my data will contribute to a large collaborative project on adaptive radiations on the Hawaiian Archipelago.

植物和动物的颜色多态性具有重要的生物学意义，并且已经进行了大量的研究。虽然颜色的进化重要性是无可争议的，也是众所周知的，但对其分子基础知之甚少。在这里，我提出了一个研究项目，以阐明在蜘蛛物种，夏威夷快乐的脸蜘蛛Theridion grallator的自适应颜色多态性的遗传基础。该物种的所有种群都以平衡的颜色多态性来区分，这是由负频率依赖选择维持的。球蛛是一种理想的模式动物，可用于揭示多态性着色的分子基础和研究多态性的趋同进化。在过去的几十年里，它已经得到了很好的研究，并为该物种开发了一些基因组和分子遗传资源。颜色多态性具有简单的遗传基础和形态结构，但在夏威夷群岛的不同岛屿上独立出现了至少两次。此外，其他几种蜘蛛物种，无论是近亲还是远亲，都发展出了趋同的颜色多态性。我的目标是确定快乐脸蜘蛛颜色变化的因果位点，并计划分两步完成这项任务。首先，我将结合群体基因组学、不同的遗传作图策略和生态田间实验，确定一组候选基因座。第二，我将使用功能性基因测试来揭示基因表达和表型差异的直接关联。除了提供对颜色多态性的分子基础的见解，我的数据将有助于一个关于夏威夷群岛适应性辐射的大型合作项目。

项目成果

A phylogeographical survey of a highly dispersive spider reveals eastern Asia as a major glacial refugium for Palaearctic fauna

• DOI: 10.1111/jbi.12742
• 发表时间: 2016-08
• 期刊: Journal of Biogeography
• 影响因子: 3.9
• 作者: H. Krehenwinkel;M. Graze;D. Rödder;Kazuhiro Tanaka;Y. Baba;C. Muster;G. Uhl