This Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Division of Environmental Biology, under CFDA Program 47.074 Biological Sciences, provides $879,124 to Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to conduct collaborative research on the genetic mechanisms underlying repeated evolution in species that have adapted to extreme cave environments.
The research will leverage comparative genomic analyses and functional genomics techniques like CRISPR-Cas9 to identify common genetic variations and mutations associated with cave-adapted traits across multiple cave-dwelling fish species and their surface-dwelling relatives. This work aims to uncover whether certain regions of the genome are predisposed to contributing to phenotypic changes that enable survival in extreme cave environments. The findings have the potential to enhance understanding of fundamental biological processes and inform strategies for adapting to changing environmental conditions.
Generated 5/14/24, 10:30 AM