H2020Индивидуална стипендия2019–2021

ESCAPE · Abandoning ship – sex and dormancy strategies in Daphnia

„Хоризонт 2020“ — Действия „Мария Склодовска-Кюри“

Период: 2019-10-01 → 2021-09-30
Финансиране от ЕС: 212 934 €
Участници: 1
Схема: MSCA-IF-EF-ST

Линиите свързват координатора с партньорите.

Накратко на български

Водните бълхи Daphnia се изследват, за да се разбере дали генетиката или средата определят превключването им към сексуално размножаване и създаването на устойчиви ембриони. Това помага да се разберат молекулярните механизми, чрез които организмите се адаптират към промените в околната среда.

Този кратък обзор е генериран от изкуствен интелект

Кратко обяснение, генерирано от езиков модел по текста на CORDIS. Оригиналът е по-долу.

Резултати накратко

Abandoning ship – sex and dormancy strategies in Daphnia

When environments change, the organisms that live in them must adapt to those changes, otherwise they become extinct. In the face of environmental variability, some organisms have evolved the ability to switch between sexual and asexual reproduction. For these organisms, sex is often associated with harsh conditions, typically found at the end of the growing season; sexual reproduction here commonly results in the formation of dormant embryos that are housed in a protective case (so-called ephippium) that shields them from adverse environmental conditions and allows them to hatch as soon as environmental conditions improve. While we know that some organisms that are able to switch to sexual reproduction do specialize by producing males to fertilize eggs or sexual females that can produce ephippia (but not necessarily both), we do not know whether such ‘gender specialization’ is due to the genetic background, environmental impacts or potentially a mixture of both. The overall objective of this project was thus to assess if genetic variation in the production of males and sexual females exists, and whether this variation is strongly environment dependent. We further aimed to identify the molecular mechanisms that drive the production of males and sexual females. For our work, we used a classic ecological and genomic model organism, the microcrustation Daphnia. Daphnia are an excellent system to address fundamental ideas of why animals can and do switch between sexual and asexual reproduction: They are capable of both sexual and asexual reproduction. Under favourable environmental conditions, daphnids reproduce clonally, generating genetically identical daughters. Sexual reproduction, on the other hand, is triggered by high population density, low food conditions and shifting photoperiod associated with end of summer.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз

Цел на проекта

The ability to switch between sexual and asexual reproduction may be critical for many taxa when securing survival in varying environmental conditions. For these organisms, sex is often associated with harsh conditions, typically found at the end of the growing season. Sexual recombination in facultative sexuals commonly results in the formation of a dormant form that is considered a strategy to overcome adverse environmental conditions. When engaging in sex, organisms have been shown to specialize by producing males or sexual females, but not necessarily both, potentially reducing the chance of inbreeding. Sexual reproduction among those ‘gender specialists’ may vary with contrasting environments. The association between different environments and the production of a distinct phenotype (i.e., males or sexual females) suggests that sex specialisation may be adaptive. However, little is known about whether sex specialization is associated more with inbreeding avoidance or local adaptation. In the work proposed here, we will use the ecological and genomic model organism Daphnia to experimentally test if genetic variation in the production of males and ephippia is strongly environment dependent or not. Specifically, we will use a high-throughput phenotyping approach to assess genotype x environment interaction among 100 Daphnia pulex genotypes originating from a UK meta-population. We will also assess the molecular mechanisms that drive the production of males and ephippia. Using a gene expression approach, we aim to resolve the network of gene expressions that underpins the shift from diploid egg production to male and ephippia production. Obtained data will help to resolve whether inbreeding avoidance or local adaptation/dormancy underpins sexual specialisation. Findings from this work will advance our understanding of why and how facultative sexual reproduction is maintained in populations. Our conclusions will be relevant to evolutionary ecology and beyond.

Оригинален текст от CORDIS (на английски).

Участници

THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD · SHEFFIELDКоординаторОбединеното кралство