Meeting Abstract
Phenotypic responsiveness to changing environmental conditions is mediated, in part, by changes in gene expression due to epigenetic modification. Epigenetic modifications entail the addition of functional groups (e.g. methyl-groups) to the genome, which alter gene expression without directly altering the genome itself. With increasing anthropogenic disturbance such as habitat destruction and introduction of novel pathogens, it has become important to detail how animal populations respond to these changes. The túngara frog, native to Middle America, exhibits great adaptability to anthropogenic disturbances and the introduced, fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. We suspect this adaptability may be mediated, in part, by epigenetic modifications. Our study sought to examine epigenetic differences within and among four locales located in Gamboa, Panama, which vary in both their level of habitat disturbance and fungal prevalence. DNA samples (N=30 per local) were collected from amplexed pairs (male-female) and fine scale patterns in DNA methylation were analyzed using a methylation-sensitive amplified fragment length polymorphism (MS-AFLP) technique. An initial sampling (N=10 per local) revealed significant epigenetic difference among locales. Analyses of the entire dataset is underway with the goal of revealing whether individuals within and among locals vary in their epigenetic response to environmental perturbation. These data should provide for future work investigating that causal role epigenetics have in mediating phenotypic response to environmental perturbation.
