Deciphering Mechanisms of Speciation Among Host-Symbiont Populations

海鞘乌贼(软体动物：头足纲)和发光细菌共生体(弧菌属)之间的互惠关系为研究动物-细菌伙伴关系中的种群生物学和物种形成提供了一个通用的模式系统。虽然鱿鱼的光器官对海水开放，但只有两种弧菌留在器官内，表明适应和进化的特异性。使用涉及荧光显微镜、分子生物学和基因表达的最新技术，该项目将研究环境过程或鱿鱼宿主是否决定了这些相互作用的架构。这项研究的核心将是确定鱿鱼-弧菌对在地理上孤立的种群之间的差异有多大。这项建议的一个关键要素是西口实验室为这项工作建立的几项国际合作努力。这项提案的成果将(通过出版物、会议、网站、课程)与研究和公众社区共享。这项研究将为学生提供独特的研究机会，建立在新墨西哥州立大学针对代表不足的少数族裔的项目基础上。国立密歇根州立大学是唯一一所被国家科学基金会评为服务于两个少数民族学生群体的卡内基一世研究机构，他们是拉美裔和美洲原住民。这项研究将有助于更好地了解细菌-动物关系的物种形成和进化，并提供有关细菌在环境中传播的信息。

The mutualistic association between sepiolid squids (Mollusca: Cephalopoda) and their luminous bacterial symbionts (Genus Vibrio) provides a versatile model system to study population biology and speciation among animal-bacterial partnerships. Although the squid light organs are open to the seawater, only two Vibrio species stay inside the organ, indicating adaptation and evolution of specificity. Using state-of-the-art techniques involving fluorescent microscopy, molecular biology, and gene expression, this project will examine whether environmental processes or the squid hosts determine the architecture of these interactions. Central to this study will be determining how different the squid-Vibrio pairs are among geographically isolated populations. A key element of this proposal is the several international and collaborative efforts that have been established by the Nishiguchi laboratory for this work. Results from this proposal will be shared (through publications, meetings, web sites, courses) with both the research and public communities. This study will provide unique research opportunities for students, building on programs for under-represented minorities at New Mexico State University. NMSU is the only Carnegie I research institution ranked by the National Science Foundation as one that serves significant numbers of two ethnic minority student populations, Hispanics and Native Americans. This research will lead to a better understanding of speciation and evolution of bacterial-animal relationships and provide information about the transmission of bacteria in the environment.