LIT: Collaborative research: Integrating physiological and genetic mechanisms to understand the evolution of cold tolerance

世界正在以前所未有的速度发生变化。气候变化预测预测了更高的平均气温和更频繁的极端天气事件(例如，热、冷、干等)。动物种群在这种变化中生存的能力取决于它们对环境耐受性的遗传和生理变异有多大。随着气候的变化，预测动物种群对温度变化的反应将需要在精细的遗传和生理水平上了解热应激的后果。因此，该项目的主要目标是从机制上描述耐热性的遗传和生理基础，长期目标是实时预测和监测动物种群的机制变化。果蝇模型果蝇非常适合这项研究，因为它分布广泛，在野外和实验室显示出适应新的热条件的能力，同时在遗传和生理上也是易驯服的。该项目的近期目标是：1)确定含有影响自然界耐冷性的自然遗传变异的基因组区域；2)检验目前关于耐冷性进化的生化和生理机制的假说；3)整合基因组筛选和假说指导的生理生化分析产生的复杂数据集，以确定对耐冷性进化起重要作用的候选基因。将整个生物体的耐热性和耐受性的生理机制与这些候选基因的遗传变异联系起来，将为了解动物种群适应气候变化的能力提供基础。该项目还将为青年科学家提供多层次的教育机会。

The world is changing at an unprecedented pace. Climate change projections predict both higher average temperatures and a greater frequency of extreme weather events (e.g., hot, cold, dry, etc.). The ability of animal populations to survive such changes rests on how much genetic and physiological variation they possess for environmental tolerance. As the climate changes, predicting the responses of animal populations to thermal change will require understanding the consequences of thermal stress at fine scale genetic and physiological levels. Thus, the main objective of this project is to characterize mechanistically the genetic and physiological bases of thermotolerance with the long-term goal of predicting and monitoring mechanistic changes in animal populations in real time. The model fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is well suited for this research because it is widely distributed and shows the capacity to adapt to novel thermal conditions in the field and laboratory while also being genetically and physiologically tractable. The immediate aims of this project are to: 1) Identify genomic regions harboring natural genetic variation affecting cold tolerance in nature; 2) Test current hypotheses about biochemical and physiological mechanisms underlying the evolution of cold tolerance; and 3) Integrate the complex data sets generated by genomic screens and hypothesis-directed physiological and biochemical assays to identify the candidate genes that matter for the evolution of cold tolerance. Linking whole-organism thermotolerance and physiological mechanisms of tolerance with genetic variation in these candidate genes will provide a foundation for understanding the capacity for animal populations to adapt to a changing climate. The project will also provide educational opportunities for young scientists at multiple levels.