Evolutionary Genomics of Plant Adaptation and Speciation

植物适应和物种形成的进化基因组学

• 批准号: RGPIN-2016-03760
• 负责人: Rieseberg, Loren
• 金额: $ 8.16万
• 依托单位: University of British Columbia
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2018-01-01 至 2019-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=663369
• 关键词: Evolutionary; Genomics; Plant; Adaptation; Speciation

How new species arise has been a central focus of biology since the publication of Darwin's famous book, “On the Origin of Species.” However, the importance of the evolutionary processes that drive speciation remain controversial. In this project, I will conduct a series of experiments to test several unorthodox hypotheses about the formation of species in the plant kingdom, using wild sunflowers of the genus Helianthus as a model system. First, I will test whether sexual selection, which refers to competition for reproduction, is an important contributor to plant speciation. While sexual selection is known to be important in animals, its role in plant speciation is unknown. Second, I will determine whether natural selection against hybrids drives the evolution of barriers to cross-species mating. This hypothesis, known as speciation by reinforcement, was first put forward by the 19th century British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace. However, empirical support for reinforcement is limited, perhaps because of a focus on costly visible traits such as flower color or flowering time. I will examine the possibility that reinforcement commonly involves cryptic mate choice mechanisms involving pollen-stylar interactions. Lastly, I will attempt to solve one of the oldest mysteries in speciation studies, which is how large-scale chromosomal rearrangements are established. Large rearrangements greatly reduce the fertility of the individual in which they first arise. Thus, according to evolutionary theory, the rearrangements should be eliminated from populations. Instead, they frequently become established. A possible explanation for this puzzle is a phenomenon called female meiotic drive, in which the rearrangement biases the outcome of meiosis (a key step in sexual reproduction) to make it more likely that the chromosome with the rearrangement ends up in the next generation. I will test whether rearrangements in Helianthus sunflowers exhibit meiotic drive. These projects will provide a first estimate of the importance of sexual selection and reinforcement in driving plant speciation, and may potentially solve an outstanding mystery about chromosomal evolution. Benefits to Canada include the training of highly qualified personnel in genomics and bioinformatics, the potential discovery of agriculturally valuable genes, and the development of genetic maps that will facilitate the introgression of such genes into cultivated sunflower germplasm. **

自从达尔文的著名著作《物种起源》出版以来，新物种是如何产生的一直是生物学的中心焦点。然而，推动物种形成的进化过程的重要性仍然存在争议。在这个项目中，我将进行一系列的实验，以测试几个非正统的假设，在植物王国的物种形成，使用向日葵属的野生向日葵作为模型系统。首先，我将测试性选择，即繁殖竞争，是否是植物物种形成的重要因素。虽然性选择在动物中很重要，但它在植物物种形成中的作用尚不清楚。其次，我将确定是否自然选择对杂交驱动跨物种交配的障碍的演变。 这种假说被称为强化物种形成，最早由世纪英国博物学家阿尔弗雷德·拉塞尔·华莱士提出。然而，强化的经验支持是有限的，也许是因为专注于昂贵的可见性状，如花的颜色或开花时间。我将研究的可能性，强化通常涉及神秘的交配选择机制，涉及花粉花柱相互作用。最后，我将试图解决物种形成研究中最古老的谜团之一，即大规模的染色体重排是如何建立的。大规模的基因重排大大降低了它们最初产生的个体的生育能力。 因此，根据进化理论，重新排列应该从种群中消除。相反，它们经常被建立起来。对这个谜题的一个可能的解释是一种被称为女性减数分裂驱动的现象，在这种现象中，重排使减数分裂（有性生殖的关键步骤）的结果偏向，使具有重排的染色体更有可能在下一代中结束。我将测试向日葵的重排是否表现出减数分裂驱动。这些项目将提供性选择和强化在驱动植物物种形成中的重要性的初步估计，并可能解决染色体进化的一个悬而未决的谜团。对加拿大的好处包括培训基因组学和生物信息学方面的高素质人员，可能发现农业上有价值的基因，以及绘制基因图谱，以促进将这些基因渗入栽培向日葵种质。 **