The genomic basis of adaptation to changing environments: applications to wildlife conservation

适应不断变化的环境的基因组基础：在野生动物保护中的应用

• 批准号: RGPIN-2019-04621
• 负责人: Russello, Michael
• 金额: $ 2.91万
• 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: 2019
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2019-01-01 至 2020-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=688091
• 关键词: genomic; basis; adaptation; changing; environments

Human modification of the environment, including large-scale habitat conversion and soaring greenhouse gas emissions, pose major threats to global biological diversity, directly linked to enhanced extinction rates 1,000 times greater than background levels. Maintaining species' ability to persist in changing environments ultimately means preserving genetic variation underlying ecologically important traits. Conservation genetic studies over the past three decades have played an important role in understanding genetic and evolutionary processes and in delineating the patterns that are relevant to managing endangered populations. However, major unresolved questions remain, largely associated with identifying fitness-related functional genetic variation for disentangling the relative roles of drift and selection underlying observed patterns and for exploring implications associated with how populations may adapt to changing environments. A main reason underlying this persistent challenge has been our inability to directly assay adaptive genetic variation at a broad-scale in natural populations of species of conservation interest. Population genomics provides a powerful approach for separating locus-specific effects under selection from genome-wide effects governed by neutral evolutionary processes. My research program combines the power of next-generation DNA sequencing and genotyping technologies with the analytical frameworks of landscape and population genomics to test predictions about the evolutionary outcomes of rapid environmental change and to explore their implications for conservation. The primary study organism is the American pika (Ochotona princeps), a small lagomorph discontinuously distributed in mountainous areas throughout western North America. Given its general perception as a high-elevation obligate, habitat specialist, the American pika has been predicted by some to become the first mammalian species to go extinct due to the direct effects of climate change. This work will have important implications for understanding biotic responses to climate change at regional and range-wide scales, while evaluating novel approaches for integrating knowledge of evolutionary potential with other critical factors (habitat quality, ecology, behaviour) for informing conservation prioritization and management action. This program will also play a fundamental role in training two PhD, three MSc, and ten undergraduate students. As genomic tools transcend individual disciplines, students will be equipped to pursue a diverse set of career opportunities within academia, government or the private sector. Moreover, the proposed research will offer opportunities for K-12 outreach through ScienceLIVE, providing subject matter for developing lesson plans and connecting classrooms within local communities to our research team through webinars and blogs from the field.

人类改变环境，包括大规模改变生境和温室气体排放量激增，对全球生物多样性构成重大威胁，直接导致灭绝率比背景水平高出1 000倍。维持物种在不断变化的环境中生存的能力，最终意味着保护具有重要生态特征的遗传变异。保护遗传学研究在过去的三十年中发挥了重要作用，在了解遗传和进化过程，并在划定模式，管理濒危种群。然而，主要的未解决的问题仍然存在，主要是与确定健身相关的功能性遗传变异解开漂移和选择的相对作用下观察到的模式，并探索与人口如何适应不断变化的环境的影响。这一持续挑战的一个主要原因是我们无法直接测定适应性遗传变异在大规模的自然种群的保护利益的物种。群体基因组学提供了一个强有力的方法来分离基因座特异性选择下的影响，从中性进化过程的基因组范围内的影响。我的研究项目结合了下一代DNA测序和基因分型技术的力量与景观和人口基因组学的分析框架，以测试对快速环境变化的进化结果的预测，并探索其对保护的影响。主要的研究生物是美洲鼠兔（Ochotona princeps），一种不连续分布在整个北美西部山区的小型兔形目动物。由于普遍认为美洲鼠兔是高海拔的栖息地专家，一些人预测它将成为第一个因气候变化的直接影响而灭绝的哺乳动物物种。这项工作将有重要的影响，了解生物对气候变化的反应，在区域和范围内的规模，同时评估新的方法，将知识的进化潜力与其他关键因素（生境质量，生态，行为）为通知保护优先次序和管理行动。该计划还将在培养两名博士，三名硕士和十名本科生方面发挥基础作用。由于基因组工具超越了个别学科，学生将有能力在学术界，政府或私营部门追求多样化的职业机会。此外，拟议的研究将通过ScienceLIVE为K-12外展提供机会，为制定课程计划提供主题，并通过现场的网络研讨会和博客将当地社区的教室与我们的研究团队联系起来。