Project Description:
The potential to learn can be very important to an organism's fitness, and yet we can observe a lot of variation among individuals in their ability to learn--even among humans. In mice, a gene that is expressed in the brain, lynx1, suppresses plasticity when it is upregulated, making it more difficult for individuals to learn.
With our BDSI project, we aim to test whether DNA sequence variation at several lynx1-related genes in birds may lead to variation in learning potential. Previously, we found evidence of sequence variation and a signature of natural selection in the protein-coding region of a lynx1 homologue in wild chickadees.
We will continue this work to
- test for variation in the entire lynx1 homologue;
- test for sequence variation at two other lynx family members;
- test for brain expression of the lynx1 homolog and other lynx family members in birds; and
- attempt to link sequence variation in lynx1 to variation in learning potential.
To accomplish this, we will perform both field and laboratory research.
Front Row: Amber Rice, Ph.D., Kristin Anderson, Michael McQuillan, Julie Miwa, Ph.D.
Back Row: Kyra Feuer, Lena Barrett, Leah Gonzalez, Morgan Decker, Kaylynn Genemaras
Project Year:
2014
Team Leaders:
Julie Miwa, Ph.D. (Neuroscientist, Biological Sciences)
Amber Rice, Ph.D. (Evolutionary Biologist, Biological Sciences)
Graduate Students:
Kristin Anderson
Michael McQuillan
Undergraduate Students:
Lena Barrett
Morgan Decker
Kyra Feuer
Kaylynn Genemaras
Leah Gonzalez