| Summary: | Population epigenetics investigates the mechanisms that allow for plasticity in gene expression without changes to DNA sequences. DNA methylation is the most commonly studied epigenetic mechanism. The house sparrow (Passer domesticus) has colonized all continents, excluding Antarctica, and many introduced populations are actively expanding their ranges. Previous studies have found a compensatory relationship between epigenetic and genetic diversity. The history and ubiquity of the house sparrow make it an important model organism for introduction and range expansion studies. The house sparrow genome was recently mapped, opening the possibility for single base-pair resolution DNA methylation analyses. The purpose of this investigation is to identify differently methylated regions of individuals from introduced and native populations using an EM-seq protocol. The results will help inform the understanding of an epigenetic mechanism acting to change the fitness between and among introduced and native populations. The investigation will also provide insights to the reversibility of some epigenetic mechanisms in response to novel or changing habitats. We expect to find differences between methylated regions in native and introduced populations. We also expect that, as an introduced population ages, methylation will decrease until it resembles native populations.
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