Phenotypic Plasticity: integrative study of ecology and molecular developmental biology

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 23247004
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Ecology/Environment
• Research Institution: Hokkaido University
• Principal Investigator: Nishimura Kenya 北海道大学, 水産科学研究科(研究院), 准教授 (30222186)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): MIURA Toru 北海道大学, 地球環境科学研究院, 准教授 (00332594) ; KISHIDA Osamu 北海道大学, 北方生物圏フィールド科学センター, 准教授 (00545626) ; MICHIMAE Hirofumi 北里大学, 薬学部, 助教 (70447069) ; KITANO Jun 国立遺伝学研究所, 集団遺伝学研究系, 教授 (80346105)
• Project Period (FY): 2011-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: エゾサンショウウオ / 表現型可塑性 / トランスクリプトーム解析 / 表現型多形

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The Hokkaido salamander (Hynobius retardatus) is an endemic species inhabiting in Hokkaido Japan. Larvae of the Hokkaido salamander exhibit phenotypic plasticity that associate with defense against predators, offense to prey and conspecific larvae. The larval phenotypic plasticity is an eligible phenomenon for the integrative study of evolutionary ecology and molecular developmental biology.
In this project, I tried to investigate, (1) morphological changes associated with the phenotypic plasticity by geometric morphometric analysis, (2) the genomic information about the morphological changes with the phenotypic plasticity by a RNAseq analysis, and (3) variations of morphology and morphological changes (developmental reaction norm) and microsatellite polymorphism among five local populations in the whole distribution area of the endemic species.

Free Research Field

進化行動生態学