RII Track-2 FEC: Using Natural Variation to Educate, Innovate, and Lead (UNVEIL): A Collaborative Research Network to Advance Genome-to-Phenome Connections in the Wild

了解生物体如何在复杂的环境中发挥作用，以及它们如何适应和适应环境挑战，仍然是生物学的核心问题。该研究基础设施改进轨道-2重点EPSCoR合作（RII轨道-2 FEC）奖利用蒙大拿大学（UM）和内布拉斯加大学-林肯（UNL）的互补研究优势，以解决与适应适应性和野生种群保护相关的基本科学问题。项目组成员将形成一个网络？利用自然变异来教育、创新和领导（UNVEIL）在三个核心研究项目上进行合作。这些项目使用新开发的基因组技术来了解影响野生动植物在不断变化的环境中生存的性状的遗传基础。这种跨学科的研究不仅将促进对生物体如何科普环境挑战的理解，而且还将产生关于基因组变异如何产生复杂性状的基础知识。这种普遍的见解具有重要的意义，延伸到保护生物学，农业和医学。为了帮助确保研究进展具有现实意义，UNVEIL网络成员将与其他利益相关者密切合作，制定基因组信息应用于保护的指导方针。该项目汇集了哲学家，遗传学家，野生动物生物学家和自然资源管理人员的跨学科小组，以制定何时以及如何使用基因组干预的指导方针。UNVEIL网络还将提供一个理想的环境，为早期职业教师的发展和培训博士后研究员和学生在尖端科学和使用基因组的见解在保护的伦理复杂性。技术描述新开发的系统遗传学方法来了解基因型和表型之间的联系很少被应用到自然种群的环境梯度的背景下。 该项目旨在通过利用系统遗传学来应对这一挑战，以促进对自然群体中与健康相关的性状的遗传基础的理解。重点将放在三个不同的物种上：雪鞋兔的季节性颜色蜕皮;鹿鼠对海拔变化的缺氧反应;黄石猴花在炎热的土壤上生存。这些科学研究活动与一个明确考虑是否、何时以及如何将基因组知识转化为保护干预措施的伦理项目相结合。该项目从事早期职业教师的研究，教育和推广活动，并指导他们在职业生涯中取得进展的领导地位。 此外，该项目将为博士后研究员提供独立研究机会，为研究生提供跨学科培训，并使下一代基因组科学家能够将基因组学见解应用于保护挑战。博士后研究员和研究生及本科生的招聘将侧重于增加代表性不足的少数群体的参与。年度研讨会，讲习班，交流访问和其他培训机会将由UM和UNL的教师与来自州和联邦组织的其他网络成员协调。媒体艺术专业的学生和科学家共同努力，将研究成果和科学概念翻译给普通观众，他们制作的视频产品将促进利益攸关方的交流。

Non-technical descriptionUnderstanding how organisms function in complex environments and how they acclimate and adapt to environmental challenges, remains a central problem in biology. This Research Infrastructure Improvement Track-2 Focused EPSCoR Collaborations (RII Track-2 FEC) award capitalizes on complementary research strengths at the University of Montana (UM) and the University of Nebraska - Lincoln (UNL) to address fundamental scientific questions that are relevant to adaptation fitness and conservation of wild populations. The project team members will form a network ?Using Natural Variation to Educate, Innovate, and Lead (UNVEIL)? to work collaboratively on three core research projects. These projects use newly developed genomic technologies to understand the genetic basis of traits that influence the survival of wild animals and plants in changing environments. This interdisciplinary research will not only advance the understanding of how organisms cope with environmental challenges, but will also generate fundamental knowledge about how complex traits arise from variation in genomes. Such general insights have major implications that extend to conservation biology, agriculture, and medicine. To help ensure that the research advances have real-world utility, the UNVEIL network members will work closely with other stakeholders to develop guidelines for the application of genomic information to conservation. The project brings together an interdisciplinary group of philosophers, geneticists, wildlife biologists, and natural resource managers to develop guidelines for when and how genomic interventions should be used. The UNVEIL network will also provide an ideal environment for the development of early career faculty and for training postdoctoral fellows and students in cutting-edge science and the ethical complexities of using genomic insights in conservation. Technical DescriptionNewly developed systems genetics approaches to understand the links between genotype and phenotype have rarely been applied to natural populations in the context of environmental gradients. This project seeks to meet this challenge by harnessing systems genetics to advance the understanding of the genetic basis of fitness-related traits in natural populations. The focus will be on three distinct species: the snowshoe hare for its seasonal color molts; deer mice for its hypoxia response to altitude changes; and Yellowstone monkeyflowers for its survival on hot soils. These scientific research activities are paired with an ethics project explicitly considering whether, when, and how to translate genomic knowledge into conservation interventions. The project engages early-career faculty in research, education, and outreach activities and mentors them for leading positions as they progress in their careers. In addition, the project will provide independent research opportunities to postdoctoral fellows and interdisciplinary training to graduate students and empower the next generation of genome scientists to apply genomic insights to conservation challenges. Recruitment of postdoctoral fellows and graduate and undergraduate students will focus on increasing the participation of underrepresented minority groups. Annual symposia, workshops, exchange visits, and other training opportunities will be coordinated by faculty members at UM and UNL together with other network members from state and federal organizations. Stakeholder communications will be facilitated by video products created by media arts students and scientists working together in translating the research results and scientific concepts for general audiences.