Ecological genomics of ecotypic divergence and incipient speciation in Mimulus

确定有助于形成新物种的机制对于理解生物多样性的起源至关重要。物种形成是物种形成的生物学过程，当群体之间的繁殖障碍进化时就会发生。通过自然选择适应不同的环境是物种形成的普遍特征，但对潜在的遗传变化知之甚少。该项目将调查自然选择的目标，这些目标驱动了野花Mimulus aurantiacus不同种群之间的物种形成的初步阶段。尽管与其独特的栖息地和传粉者的适应性差异，一些额外的生殖障碍已经演变，这表明这些人口是在早期阶段的物种形成。通过将基因组信息与评估自然选择强度的实验相结合，该项目将提供生态学和自然选择在物种形成过程开始时所扮演的角色的前所未有的表征。Mimulus已成为植物进化生态学、基因组学和物种形成研究的模式属。因此，在过去的几年里，该属中可用的基因组资源爆炸式增长，用户社区不断壮大，对基因组信息的需求也变得更加复杂。该项目的一个主要目标包括开发一个关键的在线资源，用于探索，存档和共享Mimulus自然变异的基因组数据。这些努力将建立必要的网络基础设施，以加强全世界的联系和合作。此外，该项目将为代表性不足群体的学生提供完整的教育和研究机会，进一步扩大其对社会的影响。

Identifying the mechanisms contributing to the formation of new species is essential for understanding the origins of biological diversity. Speciation, the biological process of species formation, occurs when barriers to reproduction evolve between groups. Adaptation to different environments via natural selection is a pervasive feature of speciation, yet the underlying genetic changes are poorly understood. This project will investigate the targets of natural selection that drive the preliminary stages of speciation between distinct populations of the wildflower Mimulus aurantiacus. Despite adaptive differences associated with their unique habitats and pollinators, few additional reproductive barriers have evolved, suggesting that these populations are at an early stage of speciation. By integrating genomic information with experiments estimating the strength of natural selection, this project will provide unprecedented characterization of the roles that ecology and natural selection play at the beginning of the speciation process.Mimulus has become a model genus for the study of plant evolutionary ecology, genomics, and speciation. Consequently, over the past few years, the genomic resources available in the genus have exploded, the user community has grown, and the needs for genomic information have become more sophisticated. A major goal of this project includes development of a key online resource for exploration, archiving, and sharing of genomic data on natural variation across Mimulus. These efforts will establish the web infrastructure necessary for strengthening connections and collaborations worldwide. In addition, this project will provide integral educational and research opportunities for students from underrepresented groups, further widening its impact to society.