Genetic signals of local adaptation in a desert rodent (Dipodomys microps) that occupies diverse climates and habitats.

We searched for genetic signals of selection in populations of the chisel-toothed kangaroo rat (Dipodomys microps), a species that occupies two distinct plant assemblages and a wide range of climatic conditions in the American southwest. We used double digest Restriction Site Associated DNA sequencing to generate a dataset of single nucleotide polymorphisms from 180 individuals belonging to 30 populations. We used genome-environment association and gene ontology methods to identify genetic loci showing significant association with environmental variables, compare the strength of selection across the species distribution, and link loci under selection to genes and gene functions.

本研究旨在探寻凿齿袋鼠鼠（Dipodomys microps）种群中选择作用的遗传信号。该物种栖息于美国西南部的两类独特植物群落与多样的气候环境中。我们采用双酶切限制性位点相关DNA测序（double digest Restriction Site Associated DNA sequencing）技术，对隶属于30个种群的180个个体进行测序，生成单核苷酸多态性（single nucleotide polymorphisms, SNP）数据集。本研究运用基因组-环境关联分析（genome-environment association）与基因本体论（Gene Ontology, GO）分析方法，筛选出与环境变量存在显著关联的遗传位点，对比该物种分布全域的选择作用强度，并将受选择位点与相关基因及基因功能建立关联。