CAREER: Functional genomic architecture and population differentiation of a polygenic and sexually dimorphic butterfly mimicry phenotype

Clemson University, Clemson SC

Investigators

Abstract

Polygenic adaptation occurs when populations adapt via the evolution of many loci spread throughout the genome. This type of adaptation is predicted to be the most common way that organisms respond to selective pressures. Despite the importance of this process, we still know relatively little about the mechanisms that underlie polygenic trait adaptation. In addition, researchers know little about the impact novel polygenic traits have on population divergence and speciation. To address these deficiencies, this work will focus on three aims. First, it will uncover the molecular mechanisms that underlie change of the genotype-to-phenotype map in a model butterfly species. Second, the research will connect the discovered mechanisms to the population-scale processes driving adaptation. Third, the work will investigate the impact of polygenic trait adaptation on population divergence and speciation. In addition to the research goals, the work will also provide immersive summer-long research experiences for undergraduates from EPSCoR states. Finally, the project will also support guided butterfly tours at the South Carolina Botanical Garden. More specifically, this research will use integrative functional and quantitative genomics approaches to explore butterfly wing color and patterning. This strategy will aid in identifying the genetic architecture of a polygenic and polymorphic phenotype found in male individuals. The work will then use population genomics to determine the evolutionary processes that underlie the adaptive gain of this polymorphism. Finally, the work will test hypotheses about the extent to which this phenotype is driving population differentiation. 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.