Investigating the genetic correlation hypothesis of signal-preference evolution

行为遗传学在许多方面都是一个前沿领域，对它的理解是生物学许多领域的基础，包括保护、可持续性和人类健康。本研究探讨了夏威夷Laupala kohalensis（一种蟋蟀）的雄性鸣叫行为和雌性择偶之间可能存在的遗传相关性，以及这种相关性如何影响雄性行为的表达和相关的雌性鸣叫偏好。本项目资助的本科生、研究生和博士后将获得与自然种群中动物行为问题相关的行为和遗传/基因组研究的研究经验。在这些领域进行严格的交叉训练，对于在行为研究方面取得变革性进展具有巨大的潜力。学生将获得实验设计、野外采集、畜牧业、行为测量、DNA操作、测序和生物信息学方面的经验。参与该项目的学生还将获得拓展经验，包括与夏威夷火山国家公园合作的项目，在那里我们将开发公共展览，教授夏威夷独特的生物多样性及其科学重要性，以及研究入侵物种与夏威夷生物多样性之间的相互作用。“科学在公园”系列活动将计划举办公开讲座。我们的工作也为如何在多层次的分析中研究行为以及在行为多样性和遗传学研究中重视非模式生物的作用提供了领导。我们的工作将提供来自非模型基因组的重要基因组序列数据，特别是包含与不同生命形式的许多类似物的节律行为相关的基因。理论工作支持这样一个概念，即不同行为背后的遗传相关性对健康的种群功能至关重要，因此这些遗传结构可以在不断变化的环境中迅速参与。虽然理论证明了其深刻的相关性，但遗传相关性的存在在经验上尚未得到证实。我们的建议提供了一个强有力的经验系统，合理的方法和令人兴奋的技术进步，旨在对劳帕拉科halensis物种的遗传相关性进行全面研究。本研究采用了一种设计，对比了自然种群中女性偏好对遗传相关性的贡献，以及影响男性和女性行为的基因的物理位置。在雄性鸣声的选择实验中，将进一步探讨遗传相关性及其对雌性鸣声偏好的间接影响。拟议的工作将利用一个强大的实验设计来产生全基因组序列数据，这些数据可以表征对选择的反应，以确定这些行为背后的基因，并测试响应的种内遗传变异共享物种之间发现的相同遗传基础的假设。在进行这项研究的过程中，我们还将估计与声学行为基因位置相关的Laupala kohalensis基因组中连锁不平衡的自然水平。了解遗传学和识别这些特征背后的基因将为判断众多理论模型提供急需的经验基础。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The genetics of behavior is a frontier in many respects, and its understanding is fundamental to many areas of biology, including conservation, sustainability and human health. This work explores the genetic correlations that may exist between male calling behavior and female mate choice in Laupala kohalensis, a cricket species in Hawaii, and how this correlation impacts the expression of male behavior and the associated female preference for calls. Undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral students supported by this project will gain research experiences in integrating behavioral and genetic/genomic studies related to animal behavior questions in natural populations. Rigorous cross-training in these areas has tremendous potential for making transformative progress in the study of behavior. Students will gain experiences in experimental design, field collecting, animal husbandry, behavioral measurements, DNA manipulations, sequencing and bioinformatics. Students working on the project will also gain outreach experiences, including projects with Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, where we will develop public exhibits to teach about the unique Hawaiian biodiversity and their scientific importance, as well as studies of the interactions between invasive species and Hawaiian biodiversity. Public lectures will be planned to participate in the Science in the Park series. Our work also provides leadership on how to study behavior at multiple levels of analysis and to value the role of non-model organisms in the study of behavioral diversity and genetics. Our work will provide vital genome sequence data from a non-model genome, specifically that contains genes involved in rhythmic behaviors with many analogs across diverse forms of life. Theoretical work supports the concept that genetic correlations underlying diverse behaviors are vital to healthy population function such that these genetic structures can be engaged rapidly during changing environments. While theory demonstrates its deep relevance, the presence of genetic correlation is empirically not well-established. Our proposal offers a strong empirical system, sound methodology and exciting technological advancements aimed at producing a complete study of genetic correlation in the species Laupala kohalensis. The present proposal uses a design that contrasts contributions to genetic correlation from female preference and the physical location of genes underlying male and female behaviors in natural populations. The genetic correlation will be further probed in a selection experiment on male song, and its indirect effect on female acoustic preference. The proposed work will capitalize on a powerful experimental design to produce genome wide sequence data that can characterize the response to selection, in order to identify the genes underlying these behaviors and test the hypothesis that the responding intraspecific genetic variation shares the same genetic basis found between species. In the process of doing this research, we will also estimate natural levels of linkage disequilibrium across the genome in Laupala kohalensis in relation to the location of acoustic behavior genes. Understanding the genetics and identifying the genes underlying these traits will provide a much-needed empirical basis on which to judge numerous theoretical models.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.