Bimodal Hybrid Zones: Understanding Evolutionary Stasis in the Allonemobius fasciatus-A. socius Hybrid Zone

然而，平地蟋蟀AlLonemobius Fasciatus和A.Socius在美国东部非常丰富，并形成了一个杂交区(两个物种在分布、交配和产生杂交种方面重叠的区域)，这已经成为种群遗传学家的一个重要模式系统。在接下来的五年里，将通过收集和基因分析来监测区域附近和区域内的人口。前人的工作已经证明，筋膜隐翅虫和社会隐翅虫的分布是基于基因和温度之间的耦合。因此，杂交区的位置应该作为一种遗传温度计来跟踪环境变化。通过将地理信息系统(GIS)技术、环境数据和长期遗传数据相结合，将构建物种-环境关系的严格模型。这一模型将为气候变化对昆虫种群分布的影响提供新的见解。这项拟议的工作代表了将地理信息系统与混合区研究相结合的开创性努力。该方法将利用杂交区的独特性质，通常发生在物种范围的边缘，因此对环境扰动高度敏感，以洞察环境变化以及基因和环境之间的关系。同样值得注意的是，这个项目将有助于在一所为拉美裔服务的大学培养科学家。

0316194HowardThe ground crickets, Allonemobius fasciatus and A. socius, are abundant in the eastern United States and form a hybrid zone (an area where two species overlap in distribution, mate, and produce hybrids) that has become an important model system for population geneticists. Over the next five years, populations near and within the zone will be monitored through collections and genetic analyses. Previous work has demonstrated that the distributions of A. fasciatus and A. socius are based on a coupling between genotype and temperature. Thus, the position of the hybrid zone should track environmental change as a kind of genetic thermometer. By combining geographic information system (GIS) technology, environmental data, and long-term genetic data a rigorous model of the species-environment relationship will be constructed. This model will provide new insights into the impact of climatic change on the distribution of insect populations. The proposed work represents a pioneering effort to combine GIS with the study of hybrid zones. The approach will exploit the unique nature of hybrid zones, which typically occur at the edge of species ranges and hence are highly sensitive to environmental perturbations, to gain insight into environmental change and the relationship between genotype and environment. It is also noteworthy that this project will help train scientists at a Hispanic-serving university.