# The genetic and physiological architecture of rapid and cyclic adaptation

> **NIH NIH R35** · UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA · 2020 · $395,000

## Abstract

Summary.
 Dramatic shifts in aspects of the natural environment can act as strong selective forces in the
wild and often drive rapid adaptive evolution. The genetic basis of this adaptive evolutionary
change has largely remained elusive, particularly when the traits under selection are complex
and influenced by a large number of genes. The purpose of this grant is to unravel the genetic
basis of rapid adaptive evolutionary change in two distinct species that are subject to different
types of selection pressures in the wild. We will focus on rapid adaptive evolution of D.
melanogaster to seasonal fluctuations in selection pressure as well as adaptive evolution of
Daphnia pulex to variation in predation pressures. By studying a similar set of questions in two
species, we will be able to make generalized statements about the genetic basis of adaptation
to environmental heterogeneity and the evolutionary history of alleles that contribute to rapid
adaptation. For both systems, we have already identified genetic polymorphisms that
significantly change in frequency among seasons or predation regime and likely contribute to
rapid adaptation in response to these selection pressures. Often these polymorphisms fall
outside of easily defined gene coding sequences. Therefore many likely affect gene expression
yet we do not know which gene they affect. Thus, we will perform a series of experiments to
systematically link these putatively adaptive polymorphisms to expression variation in nearby
genes. We will perform these experiments by exposing experimental populations of flies and
water-fleas to ecologically relevant environmental variation in semi-natural enclosures and use
novel methodologies that rely on high-throughput sequencing to link genotype to phenotype.
This work will provide valuable information for the broader genetics community by identifying
functional and evolutionary relevant polymorphisms in two model genetic systems. This work
will also conceptually advance evolutionary genetics by affording us the opportunity to study the
long- and short-term evolutionary history of the loci that underly rapid adaptation in response to
subtle shifts in selection pressure.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9932374
- **Project number:** 5R35GM119686-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Alan Olav Bergland
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $395,000
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-08-01 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9932374

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9932374, The genetic and physiological architecture of rapid and cyclic adaptation (5R35GM119686-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9932374. Licensed CC0.

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