Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Individuals vary, and variation among individuals is determined by genes and the environment. Genetic variation among individuals is the fuel for evolution, as evolution follows when selection acts on genetic variation. My long-term aim is to characterize the genetic basis of individual variation in long-term studies of wild populations. In doing so, my trainees and I seek to better understand how wildlife may adapt to changing environments and respond to human-induced selection. Over the next 5 years, I propose to discover, characterize, and validate the genetic basis of variation in traits related to fitness in long-term studies of bighorn sheep and grey seals. We have recently discovered genes associated with fitness-related traits in the bighorn population at Ram Mountain, Alberta using DNA profiling. Our next goal is to test the idea that rams harvested at an early age have genes for rapid horn growth, leading to the evolution of shorter horned rams. This will be accomplished by DNA profiling province-wide trophy harvested animals. Our second goal is to genetically assess the recent translocation of bighorns from the Cadomin population to determine if and how the translocation accomplished a genetic rescue (the consequent recovery of population size and genetic diversity) of the Ram Mountain population. We will also apply DNA profiling to a second bighorn population at the Bison Range in Montana. Bighorns were first introduced here in 1922. The population was isolated and became inbred until the 1980s, when translocations led to a genetic rescue and recovery of diversity. However, in the spring of 2016, an outbreak of pneumonia killed 85% of the population in less than one year despite the post-rescue vigor and genetic diversity. Our goal here is to find genes that caused the initial genetic rescue and determine whether they contribute to survival of the recent pneumonia outbreak. This study will help us understand whether genetic rescue protects against unexpected disease outbreaks. Our third study investigates the basis of individual variation in reproduction and survival in a long-term study of grey seals on Sable Island, Nova Scotia. Females vary in their "quality", as some breed younger, have larger pups and tend to live longer than others. We aim to investigate the basis of the variation using two approaches. First, we will compare biomarkers for physiological aging (telomere DNA and DNA methylation, measured at early and later known chronological ages) between high- and low-quality individuals to test the idea that high-quality individuals age biologically less rapidly. Second, we plan to sequence the genomes of high- and low-quality individuals to discover variants that are linked to reproduction, longevity, and biological ageing. This study will help us understand the genetic underpinnings of variation in individual quality and the biology of ageing.