Exploring the genetic basis of adaptation within a conservation context

保护生物学家长期以来一直认识到保护生物适应不断变化的环境的能力的重要性。虽然通常被视为保护生物学的标志性目标，但很少有研究针对确定适应性遗传变异，这种变异有助于物种进化潜力和生存未来环境变化的能力。直到最近，我们直接量化适应性遗传变异的能力仅限于在人工条件下研究的少数模式生物。最近出现的群体基因组学将基因组技术与群体遗传学理论相结合，为检测自然群体中分离变异和健康相关性状之间的全基因组关联提供了一个框架。我的计划将包括在保护环境下研究适应性种群分化的种群基因组学的第一个应用。在局部尺度上，中性和适应性遗传变异将被用于确定奥卡纳根湖濒危物种的两种同域生态型之间的保护单元，并阐明其独特繁殖行为的遗传基础。本研究的好处包括确定与适应度相关性状相关的分子标记，以指导种群评估、长期生态监测和评估管理实践。在景观层面，将进行基因组扫描，以更好地了解气候变化敏感物种——不列颠哥伦比亚省的普通鼠兔——沿环境梯度适应的遗传基础。作为一个高纬度国家，目前的模型预测加拿大可能会经历高于平均水平的变暖，这对本地动植物的分布有重大影响。我的研究有可能成为首批研究影响物种应对气候变化能力的基因组区域变异模式的研究之一。除了从整体工作中获得的基本和应用见解之外，我的项目还具有将学术和政府科学家的合作结合在一起的好处，同时为本科生和研究生的培训提供了广泛的机会。

Conservation biologists have long appreciated the importance of preserving the ability of organisms to adapt to changing environments.  Although generally viewed as a hallmark goal of conservation biology, little research has been conducted towards identifying adaptive genetic variation that contributes to a species evolutionary potential and ability to survive future environmental changes.  Until recently, our capacity to directly quantify adaptive genetic variation has been limited to a handful of model organisms studied under artificial conditions. The recent emergence of population genomics, which combines genomic technologies with population genetics theory, provides a framework for detecting genome-wide associations between segregating variation and fitness-related traits in natural populations.  My program will entail one of the first applications of population genomics for studying adaptive population divergence within a conservation context.  At a local scale, neutral and adaptive genetic variation will be used to designate conservation units between two sympatric ecotypes of the threatened Okanagan lake kokanee and to elucidate the genetic basis underlying their distinct reproductive behaviors.  Benefits of this research include identifying molecular markers linked to fitness-related traits for guiding stock assessment, long-term ecological monitoring, and evaluating management practices.  At the landscape level, genomic scans will be conducted to better understand the genetic basis of adaptation along an environmental gradient in a climate change sensitive species, the Common pika of British Columbia. As a high latitude country, current models predict Canada may experience higher than average warming, with significant implications for the distribution of native flora and fauna.  My research has the potential to be among the first to investigate patterns of variation at genomic regions influencing a species ability to respond to climate change.  In addition to the basic and applied insights gained from this overall body of work, my program has the benefits of bringing together a collaboration of academic and governmental scientists while providing extensive opportunities for undergraduate and graduate student training.