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  Evolutionary genomics of zebra finch supergenes


   School of Biosciences

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  Prof J Slate, Dr A Wright, Prof S Paterson  No more applications being accepted  Competition Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)

About the Project

Inversion polymorphisms (‘supergenes’) are increasingly recognised as an important source of genetic variation, responsible for some dramatic phenotypes (e.g. social system in fire ants, male morphs in ruffs, mimicry in butterflies etc.). We have recently shown that a supergene on the Z chromosome (a sex chromosome) explains nearly all of the heritable variation in sperm morphology in zebra finches (Kim et al. 2017; see also https://goo.gl/cCUQHu). However, the origin and evolution of the supergene are unknown. This project will harness next-generation sequencing technology to understand the Z chromosome supergene, and the evolutionary importance of inversion polymorphisms more generally.
The student will use long reads generated by 10X Genomics technology to
1) Determine the origin of the Z chromosome inversion polymorphism;
2) Understand the molecular evolution of the genes within it;
3) Compare the Z inversion and at least three autosomal inversion polymorphisms to understand how, and wherein the genome, inversion polymorphisms arise.
The project will suit a candidate that is excited by analysing genomic datasets to address evolutionary questions.
K-W Kim, C Bennison, N Hemmings, L Brookes, LL Hurley, SC Griffith, T Burke, TR Birkhead & J Slate (2017) A sex-linked supergene controls sperm morphology and swimming speed in a songbird Nature Ecology & Evolution 1:1168-1176

Funding Notes

Fully funded for a minimum of 3.5 years, studentships cover: (i) a tax-free stipend at the standard Research Council rate (at least £14,553 per annum for 2018-2019), (ii) research costs, and (iii) tuition fees at the UK/EU rate. Studentship(s) are available to UK and EU students who meet the UK residency requirements. Students from EU countries who do not meet residency requirements may still be eligible for a fees-only award.

References

This PhD project is part of the NERC funded Doctoral Training Partnership “ACCE” (Adapting to the Challenges of a Changing Environment https://acce.shef.ac.uk/ACCE is a partnership between the Universities of Sheffield, Liverpool, York and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.
Selection process: Shortlisting will take place as soon as possible after the closing date, and successful applicants will be notified promptly. Shortlisted applicants will be invited for an interview to take place at the University of Sheffield the w/c 12th February 2018.

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