# The genetic basis and adaptive significance of divergence in quantitative traits in sympatric Mimulus species

> **NIH NIH R35** · TULANE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA · 2020 · $376,437

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Variation in survival and reproduction is due largely to variation in polygenic traits.
Therefore, identifying the genetic basis of adaptive divergence in complex phenotypes is
of paramount importance not only in evolutionary biology, but also in the study and
treatment of human disease. Few studies have been able to identify the individual genes
that underlie adaptive differences in quantitative traits. The overarching goal of this work
is to identify the individual loci involved in quantitative trait variation and link those loci
to fitness in natural populations. Previous efforts have fallen short either because (1)
quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping studies provided limited resolution and failed to
pinpoint particular genes, or (2) the effects of variation in candidate genes and traits on
fitness could not be tested in natural populations. The proposed work will overcome these
limitations in two ways. First, to identify individual loci involved in ecologically relevant
complex traits such as phenology, mating system, and morphology, we plan to combine
QTL mapping in advanced generation hybrids with genome wide association studies and
population genomic scans for selection in natural populations. Second, we will perform
reciprocal transplant studies using genetically recombinant individuals to causally link
genetic variation in quantitative traits to variation in fitness in native habitats. The Mimulus
guttatus species complex is an ideal system in which to study the genetics of adaptation in
quantitative traits because it is an ecologically diverse, experimentally tractable, and highly
inter-fertile group of wildflowers with many genetic and genomic tools. Using this
combination of approaches in Mimulus will allow us to address the following fundamental
evolutionary questions: What is the genetic architecture of local adaptation under spatially
and temporally varying selection? Is evolution in complex traits predictable at the
molecular level? What is the genetic basis of genotype by environment interactions? Our
work uses a powerful integrative approach to examine the evolution of complex traits in
natural populations. How quantitative traits respond to environmental variation in time and
space has important implications for the evolution of complex diseases and agriculturally
important plants and animals in a changing climate.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10029437
- **Project number:** 1R35GM138224-01
- **Recipient organization:** TULANE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
- **Principal Investigator:** Kathleen Gray Ferris
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $376,437
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-08-01 → 2025-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10029437

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10029437, The genetic basis and adaptive significance of divergence in quantitative traits in sympatric Mimulus species (1R35GM138224-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10029437. Licensed CC0.

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