Evolution and plasticity of "arrive and survive" phenotypes driving parallel range shifts in the wild.

许多物种正在经历向高纬度和高海拔地区的当代范围转移，这是对气候变化最引人注目和最重要的生物反应之一。从历史上看，研究人员认为，范围的变化只是涉及生态过程的分散，以跟踪合适的气候。然而，我们现在知道，范围转移实际上也涉及快速的进化变化，反映：生态位转移和生态位扩张，扩散的增加，以及中性遗传变异模式的改变。然而，人们对这些进化转变的机制和显着性知之甚少，限制了我们预测范围转变并估计其对高纬度或高海拔社区的潜在影响的能力。最近的工作表明，DNA的内源性表观遗传修饰的转变可能在实现范围转变和相关适应方面发挥着核心作用。这是因为这种表观遗传修饰代表了一种提高性状表达灵活性的方法，使个体能够更好地应对不断扩大的范围边缘的新环境。事实上，在预测物种生态位极限方面，表观遗传变异往往比遗传变异更能预测。然而，作用遗传与表观遗传变异，使极地范围的扩展从来没有正式比较，无论是解释力或预测能力，在这个建议中，我们的目标是进行景观尺度的研究，发现可靠的预测和反映范围转移的适应性和速率的遗传变异和表观遗传模式。对于这项工作，我们建议使用一个既定的模型研究系统的范围转移的进化动力学，蓝尾豆娘Ischnura elegans。这一标志性物种受到温度的强烈限制，目前正在迅速向高纬度地区扩展，以应对气候变化，这与先前描述的生态位宽度，竞争能力和分散表型的进化转变有关。由于地理分布广泛，拥有发达的基因组资源，高质量的公民科学数据，以及记录在案的对入侵栖息地的生态影响，I。elegans提供了一个理想的系统，以研究在野外平行的范围转移进化过程。2为了评估遗传和表观遗传过程的范围转移的相对重要性，我们将建立四个，独立的，平行的范围转移样带在I的北方边缘。优雅的范围。我们将结合联合收割机现场采样与实验室实验，建立变化的驱动因素，生态进化模型，揭示关键过程和预测。拟议中的工作将提供第一个强大的测试，通过它们对扩散和热适应（我们称之为“到达并生存”的表型）的影响，遗传和表观遗传过程如何促进范围向高纬度转移。我们验证的预测模型将进一步建立不同的遗传和表观遗传过程的相对重要性，并提供一个平台，用于预测人类世的范围转移和适应率。

Many species are undergoing contemporary range shifts to higher latitudes and elevations, representing one of the most dramatic and consequential biotic responses to climate change. Historically, researchers assumed that range shifts simply involved ecological processes of dispersal to track suitable climates. However, we now know that range shifts in fact also involve rapid evolutionary change, reflecting: niche shifts and niche expansion, increases in dispersal, and altered patterns of neutral genetic variation. However, the mechanisms and salience of each of these evolutionary shifts are poorly understood, limiting our ability to predict range shifts and estimate their potential impact on high latitude or high elevation communities.Recent work suggests that shifts in endogenous, epigenetic modifications to DNA may play a central role in enabling range shifts and associated adaptations. This is because such epigenetic modifications represent a way to achieve improved flexibility in trait expression, enabling individuals to better respond to novel environments at the expanding range edge. In fact, epigenetic variation is often a better predictor than genetic variation in predicting species' niche limits. However, the role genetic vs. epigenetic variation in enabling poleward range expansions has never been formally compared, for either explanatory power or predictive ability.In this proposal we aim to conduct a landscape scale study to discover the genetic variants and epigenetic patterns that reliably predict and reflect range shifting adaptations and rates. For this work we propose to use an established model study system for range shifting evolutionary dynamics, the blue-tailed damselfly Ischnura elegans. This iconic species is strongly limited by temperature, and is currently undergoing rapid range expansion into higher latitudes in response to climate change, associated with previously-described evolutionary shifts in niche breadth, competitive ability, and dispersal phenotypes. Being geographically widespread, with well-developed genomic resources, high-quality citizen science data, and documented ecological impacts on invaded habitats, I. elegans provides the ideal system to study range shift evolutionary processes in parallel in the wild.To evaluate the relative importance of genetic and epigenetic processes for range shifting, we will establish four, independent, parallel range shift transects at the northern margin of I. elegans' range. We will combine field sampling with laboratory experiments, to establish drivers of variation, and eco-evolutionary modelling, to uncover key processes and predictions. The proposed work will provide a first, robust test of how genetic and epigenetic processes facilitate range shifts into higher latitudes, via their effects on dispersal and thermal adaptations (what we coin 'arrive and survive' phenotypes). Our validated forecasting models will further establish the relative importance of different genetic and epigenetic processes, and provide a platform for predicting rates of range shifting and adaptation in the Anthropocene.