Genomic Consequences of Asexuality

智力优势：有性繁殖比无性繁殖成本更高，但几乎所有的生物都至少在某些时候有性繁殖。为什么有性生殖如此普遍，尽管它的成本？无性繁殖是否有重要的进化后果？有性生殖或没有有性生殖对基因和基因组的进化有什么影响？尽管经过几十年的研究，这些问题和相关问题仍然没有答案。已建立的遗传模型系统，如果蝇和酵母，为性别和重组的遗传和基因组后果提供了重要的见解。 然而，这些系统是有限的，因为它们不能直接比较来自具有相似遗传背景和环境历史的相同自然种群的有性和无性生物及其基因组。该项目将使用一种不同的生物体，Potamopyrgus antipodarum，一种新西兰蜗牛，它具有有性和独立衍生的无性系，非常适合解决基因和基因组在没有有性生殖的情况下如何进化的基本进化问题。这项研究将利用P. antipodarum的独特优势，并将其扩展到基因组水平，对有性生殖的遗传后果及其缺失产生新的见解。分析有性和无性谱系将使我们有可能在行为中发现突变积累和基因丢失。这项研究还将为将P. antipodarum发展成为许多重要生物学问题的强大模型系统提供关键步骤，从宿主-寄生虫动力学到生态毒理学。由于有性生殖的一个关键的独特因素是迅速产生遗传多样性的后代，研究成果也将阐明在何种程度上保持种群，物种和生态群落内的遗传多样性是保护生物多样性不可或缺的。更广泛的影响：这项研究将为学生在进化生物学、分子遗传学、基因组学和生物信息学方面的培训和职业发展提供许多机会。努力将集中在生物科学优势和SROP/麦克奈尔计划，这为学生从历史上代表性不足和服务不足的少数群体与研究生涯的兴趣。将与明尼阿波利斯市中心的两所高中开展合作，主要为代表性不足的学生群体提供服务。科学推广工作将致力于支持和扩大当地的达尔文日民间团体，该团体致力于组织旨在提高公众科学意识、舒适度和素养的活动，并努力发起一个多管齐下的媒体联盟。

Intellectual Merit: Sexual reproduction is more costly than asexual reproduction, yet nearly all organisms reproduce sexually at least some of the time. Why is sexual reproduction so common despite its costs? Are there significant evolutionary consequences of asexual reproduction? What are the effects of sexual reproduction or its absence on the evolution of genes and genomes? Despite decades of study, these and related questions remain unanswered. Established genetic model systems such as fruit flies and yeast have provided important insights into the genetic and genomic consequences of sex and recombination. However, these systems are limited because they do not offer the ability to make direct comparisons between sexual and asexual organisms--and their genomes--from the same natural populations with similar genetic background and environmental history. This project will use a different organism, Potamopyrgus antipodarum, a New Zealand snail, which has both sexual and independently-derived asexual lineages that make it ideally suited to address fundamental evolutionary questions of how genes and genomes evolve in the absence of sexual reproduction. This research will take advantage of the unique strengths of P. antipodarum and extend them to the genomic level, generating novel insights into the genetic consequences of sexual reproduction and its absence. Analyzing sexual and asexual lineages will make it possible to catch mutation accumulation and gene loss in the act. This research will also provide key steps forward in developing P. antipodarum into a powerful model system for many important biological questions, from host-parasite dynamics to ecotoxicology. Since a key unique element of sexual reproduction is the rapid generation of genetically diverse offspring, research outcomes will also illuminate the extent to which the preservation of genetic diversity within populations, species, and ecological communities is integral to the preservation of biological diversity. Broader Impacts: The research will provide numerous opportunities for student training and career development in evolutionary biology, molecular genetics, genomics, and bioinformatics. Effort will be focused on the Biosciences Advantage and SROP/McNair programs, which serve students from historically underrepresented and underserved minority groups with interest in a research career. Collaborations will be initiated with two high schools in inner-city Minneapolis serving primarily underrepresented student groups. Science outreach efforts will be directed towards support and expansion of the local Darwin Day civic group, which is dedicated to organizing events aimed at increasing public scientific awareness, comfort, and literacy, and their efforts to initiate a multi-pronged media consortium.