Defining the microbiota's response to and influence on the evolution of Drosophila melanogaster

了解快速适应性进化的机制对医疗保健有直接的应用。但 仍然是该领域的一个主要空白：相关微生物（“微生物群”），一个关键的潜在贡献者， 动物的适应性进化在进化研究中常常被完全忽视。这种差距的持续存在， 这是一个问题，因为微生物群可以直接影响宿主的健康相关性状。事实上，许多动物的特征， 可以进化以响应实验室的选择，也可以受到微生物群的影响。而且，当 人口进行实验室选择的分歧，在健康相关的性状，他们也成为 在微生物群中有差异。该项目的长期目标是定义微生物的作用 在动物进化中。总的目标是解释动物如何选择他们的微生物群， 进化以及微生物群的变异或稳定性如何影响动物进化。我们的核心假设 微生物影响动物进化，并受动物进化影响。这一假设得到了我们初步的支持。 结果使用实验进化的果蝇（实验室果蝇）种群系统。 因此，建议进行这项工程计划的理据，是我们拥有一套性能卓越而独特的系统， 在其中，我们可以回答关于因果关系的问题，当确定微生物在宿主进化中的作用时。 我们将通过两个具体目标实现我们的总体目标。初步结果显示， D.被选择用于快速发育的黑腹动物具有更高丰度的肠道微生物，但几乎没有 内共生体Wolbachia与对照相比;在目标1.1中，我们假设宿主的遗传控制 沃尔巴克氏体在这些种群中受到强烈和持续的选择。在目标1.2中，我们将确定 在实验室选择中，宿主性状的进化驱动微生物群的变化，反之亦然 实验目标2.1和2.2还将使用实验室选择方法来测试细菌功能是否可以 影响作用于宿主的选择压力，以及微生物群的变化或恒定性在多大程度上影响 宿主的进化速度我们的方法是创新的，因为它在细菌控制下进化出一种动物 条件和扩展相关性的因果关系。这个项目的意义在于它将解释如何 宿主进化影响并依赖于微生物群，并决定微生物群在多大程度上影响宿主 宿主经历的选择压力。该项目将支持本科生的研究机会 硕士的学生。

Understanding the mechanisms of fast adaptive evolution has direct applications to healthcare. But there remains a major gap in the field: associated microorganisms (‘microbiota’), a key potential contributor to animal adaptive evolution are often entirely ignored in evolution studies. The continued existence of this gap is problematic because microbiota can directly affect host health-related traits. Indeed, many animal traits that can evolve in response to laboratory selection can also be influenced by the microbiota. Moreover, when populations undergo laboratory selection for divergence in health-related traits, they also become differentiated in their microbiota. The long-term goal of this project is to define the role of microorganisms in animal evolution. The overall objective is to explain how animals select on their microbiota during evolution and how variation or constancy in the microbiota affects animal evolution. Our central hypothesis is that microbiota affect and are affected by animal evolution. This hypothesis is supported by our preliminary results using a system of experimentally-evolved Drosophila melanogaster (laboratory fruit fly) populations. Thus, the rationale for the proposed project is that we have a demonstrably high-powered and unique system in which we can answer questions about causation when determining the role of microbiota in host evolution. We will achieve our overall objective through two specific aims. Preliminary results show that populations of D. melanogaster selected for fast development have higher abundance of gut microbes but are nearly devoid of the endosymbiont Wolbachia compared to controls; in Aim 1.1 we hypothesize that host genetic control of Wolbachia is under strong and constant selection in these populations. In Aim 1.2 we will determine whether the evolution in host traits drives the changes to the microbiota, or vice versa in a laboratory selection experiment. Aims 2.1 and 2.2 will also use the laboratory selection approach to test if bacterial functions can affect selection pressures acting on hosts, and to what extent variation or constancy of the microbiota affect host rate of evolution. Our approach is innovative because it evolves an animal under bacteria-controlled conditions and extends correlation to causation. The significance of this project is that it will explain how host evolution impacts and depends on the microbiota and determine to what extent microbiota can influence selection pressures experienced by hosts. This project will support research opportunities for undergraduate and Master’s students.