CAREER: Upon Which Selection Can Act: Quantifying How Mutation and Environment Generate Genotypic & Phenotypic Variation in an Emerging Ecological & Evolutionary Genomic

突变是基因变异的最终来源。尽管大量的理论和应用生物学都建立在了解它发生的速度及其影响的基础上，但很少有估计存在，而且个体、种群和物种之间的变化在很大程度上是未知的。这个项目将量化突变率及其在全基因组范围内对水蚤的影响，水蚤是一群长期以来作为种群生物学、群落生态学和环境毒理学哨兵的动物。详细的分析将包括在多个尺度上估计突变率，包括i)在其机制原因不同的主要突变类别之间，ii)基因组之间（线粒体和细胞核），以及iii)在表现出不同特征的物种内部和物种之间。它将与在这些相同的群体和不同的环境中，突变对寿命、生长速度和繁殖力等特征的可测量（表型）影响的分析相结合。我们将特别关注基因组转座因子中一个特别令人兴奋的突变来源。所有开发的生物和基因组资源都将向公众开放。更广泛的影响在研究和教学中追求卓越通常被视为一种权衡，但战略方法可以丰富这两方面的努力。从现实生活场景和实践经验中获得的知识往往更有吸引力，影响也更持久。这些项目将成为基础研究（涉及学生、博士后研究人员和合作者）、教学和课程开发（包括开发新课程和教程）以及推广（通过国内和国际研讨会以及公开讲座）的综合计划的一部分。这项研究的好处包括：1)加深我们对生物学关键参数的理解；2)产生共享的生物学、基因组学和生物信息学资源；3)通过与下一代美国和国际科学家合作建立科学能力；4)通过分享新发现，教育公众关于遗传学、基因组学和进化的核心作用。

Mutation is the ultimate source of genetic variation. Although a great deal of theoretical and applied biology rests on understanding the rate at which it occurs and its effects, few estimates exist and the variation among individuals, populations, and species is largely unknown. This project will quantify mutation rates and their effects on a genome-wide scale using Daphnia, a group of animals that has long served as a sentinel for population biology, community ecology, and environmental toxicology. The detailed analysis will include estimating mutation rates at multiple scales, including i) among the major categories of mutation which differ in their mechanistic causes, ii) between genomes (mitochondrial and nuclear), and iii) within and between species exhibiting different characteristics. It will be partnered with an analysis of measurable (phenotypic) effects of mutations on traits such as longevity, growth rate, and fecundity among these same groups and in variable environments. Special attention will be paid to a particularly exciting source of mutation in the genome-transposable elements. All biological and genomic resources developed will be made publicly available. Broader ImpactsPursuing excellence in research and teaching is often seen as a trade-off, yet strategic approaches can enrich both endeavors. Knowledge gained from real-life scenarios and hands-on experience is often more compelling with longer lasting impact. These projects will be part of an integrative program of basic research (involving students, post-doctoral researchers, and collaborators), teaching and curriculum development (including the development of new courses and tutorials), and outreach (through domestic and international workshops, as well as public lectures). The benefits of this research include 1) deepening our understanding of key parameters in biology, 2) generating shared biological, genomic, and bioinformatic resources, 3) building science capacity through collaborating with the next generation of American and international scientists, and 4) educating the public about the central role of genetics, genomics, and evolution by sharing new discoveries as they occur.