RAPID: Basin-scale genetics of marine zooplankton

海洋浮游动物对气候变化表现出强烈的生态响应，但对其进化响应能力知之甚少。许多作者认为浮游动物的进化潜力是有限的。然而，最近的研究为这种观点提供了间接证据，即选择是作用于这些物种的主要进化力量，并且在区域空间尺度上，在远洋栖息地可以实现遗传隔离。RAPID项目将利用2014年参与大西洋经向样带（AMT）巡航的独特机会进行盆地尺度样带采样。邮轮将穿越大西洋90°以上的纬度，包括寒带、亚热带和热带水域。浮游动物样本将沿着样带收集，线粒体和微卫星标记将用于确定三个桡足类物种中强遗传断裂的地理位置。贝叶斯和聚结分析技术将测试这些区域是否作为扩散屏障。在不同的海洋栖息地收集的动物的生理状况将通过测量产蛋量（海上）、体型（状况指数）、干重以及碳和氮含量来评估。该项目将验证以下预测：作为海洋浮游生物扩散屏障的海洋区域是目标物种的低质量栖息地，这是驱动海洋浮游动物种群遗传结构的主要机制。该项目将培训两名研究生，以获得航海和实验室研究方面的经验。科学推广将通过专门的邮轮博客进行，该博客将针对小学生，并从2014年AMT邮轮期间产生的浮游动物图像和科学内容中提取。这项拟议的研究将为控制海洋浮游生物遗传变异的过程提供重要的见解，并与了解这些种群应对气候变化的能力直接相关。

Marine zooplankton show strong ecological responses to climate change, but little is known about their capacity for evolutionary response. Many authors have assumed that the evolutionary potential of zooplankton is limited. However, recent studies provide circumstantial evidence for the idea that selection is a dominant evolutionary force acting on these species, and that genetic isolation can be achieved at regional spatial scales in pelagic habitats. This RAPID project will take advantage of a unique opportunity for basin-scale transect sampling through participation in the Atlantic Meridional Transect (AMT) cruise in 2014. The cruise will traverse more than 90° of latitude in the Atlantic Ocean and include boreal-temperate, subtropical and tropical waters. Zooplankton samples will be collected along the transect, and mitochondrial and microsatellite markers will be used to identify the geographic location of strong genetic breaks within three copepod species. Bayesian and coalescent analytical techniques will test if these regions act as dispersal barriers. The physiological condition of animals collected in distinct ocean habitats will be assessed by measurements of egg production (at sea) as well as body size (condition index), dry weight, and carbon and nitrogen content. The PI will test the prediction that ocean regions that serve as dispersal barriers for marine holoplankton are areas of poor-quality habitat for the target species, and that this is a dominant mechanism driving population genetic structure in oceanic zooplankton.Two graduate students will be trained in association with this project, gaining experience in both sea-going and laboratory research. Science outreach will be conducted through a dedicated cruise blog that will target elementary school children and draw from the live zooplankton images and science content generated during the 2014 AMT cruise. The proposed research will provide important insights into processes controlling genetic variation in marine holoplankton, and is directly relevant to understanding the capacity of these populations to respond to climate change.