Variation in larval gene expression in a marine invertebrate: implications for population divergence via differential settlement response

进化和生态功能基因组学是将基因图谱技术与生态学和进化的实验和现场方法相结合的新兴领域。我用这种方法来解决海洋无脊椎动物生物学中的一个关键问题：幼虫如何对环境做出反应，这种反应的变化如何影响物种的分布和进化？我将使用海洋腹足动物（鲍鱼）模型，它有大量的发展和种群遗传数据，并建立了水产养殖方法。这项研究的结果将提高对这一和其他商业渔业种群结构以及水产养殖效率的认识。

Evolutionary and ecological functional genomics is an emerging field that integrates gene profiling technologies with experimental and field approaches of ecology and evolution. I take this approach to address a key problem in marine invertebrate biology: how do larvae respond to their environment and how does variation in this response influence the distribution and evolution of a species? I will use a marine gastropod (abalone) model, for which there exists substantial development and population genetic data, and established aquaculture methodologies. Outcomes of this study will enhance knowledge of the stock structure of this and other commercial fisheries, as well as aquaculture efficiency.