Dissertation Research: Adaptive responses to urbanization in the tropical lizard Anolis cristatellus

本项目将研究热带蜥蜴Anolis cristatellus对城市环境的适应过程。城市化涉及对栖息地的剧烈改变，这往往会对生物多样性产生负面影响，但少数动植物有能力持久生存并茁壮成长。因此，了解这些生物是如何适应城市化的，对于预测生物圈未来的变化是必要的。以往的研究表明，鸡冠鱼通过其形态和生理的变化来适应城市环境。该项目将确定与这种适应相关的基因。其结果将是对该物种和其他物种快速当代适应的遗传基础的新见解，并将在一个日益被人类活动改变的世界中为保护决策提供信息。该项目还将培训本科生，包括来自科学界代表性不足的群体的个人，并将创建一个公民科学项目，对波多黎各的城市野生动物进行分类。这项研究使用基因组方法来确定以前未知的与城市适应相关的特征变化。该项目将使用基因组技术来定位波多黎各原生范围内城市和森林种群中蜥蜴的转录基因。将使用三种常见的方法在遗传水平上检测自然选择：种群间分化的测量，选择性扫描的识别，以及功能改变多态基因区域的识别。这些方法将能够识别被选择的基因区域，城市和森林群体之间的差异适应反应，以及城市群体之间的平行适应反应。此外，这项研究将确定被选择的基因区域的功能关联，并将测试被选择的基因座与城市和自然栖息地之间的环境差异之间的相关性。

This project will study the process of adaptation to urban environments by the tropical lizard, Anolis cristatellus. Urbanization involves drastic habitat modifications that very frequently has negative effects on biodiversity, but a few plants and animals have the ability to persist and thrive. Understanding how these organisms are adapting to urbanization is therefore necessary for predicting future changes to the biosphere. Prior research has shown that Anolis cristatellus has adapted to urban environment through changes in its morphology and physiology. This project will identify genes associated with that adaptation. the result will be new insights into the genetic basis of rapid contemporary adaptation in this and other species and will inform conservation decisions in a world increasingly transformed by human activity. The project will also train undergraduate students, including individuals from groups underrepresented in the sciences, and will create a citizen science project to catalogue urban wildlife in Puerto Rico. This research employs a genomic approach to identify previously unknown trait shifts related to urban adaptation. The project will use genomic techniques to target transcribed genes of lizards from urban and forest populations across its native range in Puerto Rico. Three common approaches to detect natural selection at the genetic level will be used: the measurement of between-population differentiation, the identification of selective sweeps, and the identification of gene regions with function-altering polymorphism. These methods will enable the identification of gene regions under selection, differential adaptive responses between urban and forest populations, and parallel adaptive responses between urban populations. In addition, the research will identify functional associations of gene regions under selection and will test for correlations between loci under selection and environmental differences between urban and natural habitats.