Quantifying the drivers of animal migration

迁徙是一种复杂的行为，在整个动物界中独立和重复地进化，在塑造种群动态和生态系统过程中至关重要。然而，主要由于气候变化和其他人为因素，移徙事件已开始消失。这导致迫切需要了解迁徙的内部驱动因素，重点是基因组结构和生理机制。这种评估的目标是评估人口是否能够应对迁徙路线的人为和环境变化。迁徙需要大量的适应，已经证明了明确的遗传模式和遗传基础。我的DG项目旨在通过关注一组独特的有蹄类动物(驼鹿、骡鹿和山山羊)来隐藏迁徙的驱动因素，这些动物表现出一系列的迁徙行为。我的计划的可行性体现在已经拥有多年的GPS跟踪数据和冻结的组织。GPS定位数据将用于确定个体迁徙模式(时间、目的地和栖息地选择)，这些模式将与基因组和生理变化定量地联系在一起。使用一套新的基因组文库准备技术和测序策略，我们将检验这一假设，即一些重要的基因参与了形成不同的迁移行为。新开发的分析方法将测试甲基化(即关闭和打开基因)是否参与迁移行为，而对线粒体基因组的选择将与线粒体呼吸速率联系起来，共同测试迁移适应线粒体的假说。利用比较基因组学和荟萃分析，我们将测试迁徙行为的共同基因组结构。最后，我的副秘书长的长期愿景是建立一个以经验为基础的框架，推断环境变化对人口的影响；这将通过对迁徙栖息地的时间建模和将栖息地的变化与推断的有效人口规模和其他人口参数的变化进行定量联系来实现。从整体上将基因组、表观遗传和呼吸模式与不同的迁徙行为联系起来，将在运动生态学和野生动物遗传学研究方面取得突破性进展。传统上截然不同的数据流的创新合并可以应用于陆地和海洋系统，从而推动多个战线的基础研究。在确定迁徙行为的根深蒂固程度以及评估迁徙栖息地变化的人口影响方面，对有蹄类动物的保护和管理有直接影响。我预计将在尖端基因组学、生物信息学和建模技术方面培训10名HQP(5名研究生；5名本科生)。在加拿大日益增长的生物经济中，这些技能具有很高的可转移性和需求量。

Migration is a complex behaviour that evolved independently and repeatedly across the animal kingdom and is vitally important in shaping population dynamics and ecosystem processes. However, migration events have started to disappear primarily due to climate change and other anthropogenic factors. This has led to an urgency to understand the internal drivers of migration, with an emphasis on genomic architecture and physiological mechanisms. The goal of such assessments is to evaluate whether populations can cope with anthropogenic and environmental changes to their migratory routes.Numerous adaptations are required for migration and clear patterns of inheritance and a genetic underpinning have been demonstrated. My DG program aims to undercover the drivers of migration by focussing on a unique suite of ungulates (moose, mule deer, and mountain goat) that exhibit a range of migratory behaviour. The feasibility of my program is reflected in already having multi-year GPS tracking data and frozen tissue. The GPS location data will be used to determine individual migration patterns (timing, destination, and habitat selection) that will be quantitatively linked to genomic and physiological variation. Using a suite of novel genomic library preparation techniques and sequencing strategies, we will test the hypothesis that a few genes of large effect are involved in shaping divergent migratory behaviours. Newly developed assays will test for methylation (i.e. turning genes off and on) involvement in migratory behaviour, while selection on the mitochondrial genome will be linked to mitochondrial respiration rates to collectively test the migration-adapted mitochondrion' hypothesis. Using comparative genomics and meta-analyses we will test for a common genomic architecture to migratory behaviour. Finally, the long-term vision of my DG is to develop an empirically-based framework that infers the demographic impact of changing environments; this will be achieved by temporal modelling of migratory habitat and quantitatively linking shifts in habitat to inferred changes in effective population size and other demographic parameters. Holistically linking genomic, epigenetic, and respiration patterns to divergent migratory behaviour will provide ground-breaking advances in movement ecology and wildlife genetic research. The innovative merger of traditionally disparate data streams can be applied to terrestrial and marine systems, thereby advancing basic research on multiple fronts. There is a direct impact to ungulate conservation and management in determining how hard-wired migratory behaviours are, and assessing the demographic impact of altered migration habitat. I anticipate training 10 HQP (5 grad; 5 undergrad) in cutting-edge genomics, bioinformatics, and modelling techniques. These skills are highly transferrable and in demand in the growing Canadian bio-economy.