Genomic and phenotypic signatures of climate adaptation in an Anolis lizard

Integrated knowledge on phenotype, physiology and genomic adaptations is required to understand the effects of climate on evolution. The functional genomic basis of organismal adaptation to changes in the abiotic environment, its phenotypic consequences, and its possible convergence across vertebrates, are still understudied. In this study, we use a comparative approach to verify predicted gene functions for vertebrate thermal adaptation with observed functions underlying repeated genomic adaptations in response to elevation in the lizard Anolis cybotes. We establish a direct link between recurrently evolved phenotypes and functional genomics of altitude-related climate adaptation in three highland and lowland populations in the Dominican Republic. We show that across vertebrates, genes contained in this interactome are expressed within the brain and during development. These results are relevant to elucidate the effect of global climate change across vertebrates, and might aid in furthering insight into gene-environment relationships under disturbances to external homeostasis

A Multi-Taxa Metagenomic Evaluation of the Everglades Soil Microbiome and the Impact of Salinity on Community Structure and Biogeochemical Cycles with a Soil Forensic Application

Coastal wetlands, such as the Everglades, are increasingly being exposed to stressors that have the potential to modify their existing ecological processes because of global climate change. Their soil microbiomes include a population of organisms that are important for biogeochemical cycling, but continual stresses can disturb the community\u27s composition, causing functional changes. The Everglades features wetlands with varied salinity levels, implying that they contain microbial communities with a variety of salt tolerances and microbial functions. Therefore, it\u27s critical to track the effects of stresses on these populations in both freshwater and brackish marshes. The study addressed this by first constructing a baseline microbial community, then analyzing taxonomic alterations that happened after a long-term disturbance like seawater intrusion, and then determining the soil characteristics that most contributed to the difference in soil communities. To estimate the microbiome’s diversity, two standard genetic study approaches were compared in Chapter 2. Length Heterogeneity-PCR (LH-PCR) was used to detect the initial diversity, and Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) was used to detect the taxonomic diversity. The Archaea and bacteria populations were examined. With both techniques, it was determined that each location had a distinct bacterial and Archaeal community distribution. Changes in relative abundance of taxonomies before and after experimental saline treatment revealed that various taxa react to stresses in different ways, providing insight into how communities are responding. By analyzing taxonomic alterations, Chapter 3 defined the microbial communities participating in important biogeochemical cycles and evaluated how their functional potential altered following long-term salt inputs. The nitrogen, carbon, sulfur, and phosphorus cycles were studied by sequencing a microbial functional gene involved in each of these processes. The relationships between the observed soil physiochemical properties and microbial composition before and after saline treatment were investigated in Chapter 4. Once saline was introduced, changes in the properties responsible for alterations in community variation were observed. The microbiome\u27s value for ecological and forensic purposes was also investigated, specifying its enormous potential. These findings add to the understanding of microbiomes by demonstrating how changes in soil qualities impact communities both before and after a disturbance such as saltwater intrusion

"Punishment for my Sins," "Diet Pepsi," or "Bad Gene:" Perceived Causes of Autoimmune Diseases

Advisor: Nicole TaylorAutoimmune diseases are the fourth most common type of chronic illness yet the medical causes of the diseases remain largely unknown. Individuals who are diagnosed with autoimmune diseases often face many psychosocial consequences as a result of their disease including feelings of isolation, stress coping with the cycles of relapse and remission, lengthy and ambiguous diagnosis processes, anxiety, and depression. The current study was part of a larger mixed-methods study that included online surveys assessing disease severity, depression, self-efficacy, social support, positive well-being, and health promoting behaviors. Participants also completed open-ended questions asking, "What do you think caused your autoimmune disease?" and "Have you been given a medical explanation for the cause of your disease?" Participants included 175 individuals with connective tissue or musculoskeletal autoimmune diseases and ranged in age from 18-84 years old. The most common diagnoses were rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, systematic lupus erythematosus, and myositis. A content analysis of the open-ended questions revealed that many participants were unsure why they were diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. Participants who had received a medical reason for their diagnosis often expressed a personal belief that was different from what they were told by their doctors. In addition, some participants blamed themselves for the etiology of their disease, even when that belief was contradictory to the medical information they had received. Lifestyle choices like drinking diet pepsi or working too hard were cited as reasons. The most common explanations were genes, environmental causes, bacterial or viral causes, medications like statins, stress, and pregnancy.Drake University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psycholog