Xiaomeng Tian
|
|
I have long been interested in the genetic mechanisms of phenotypic variety and adaptation. Phenotypic variety, including interspecific diversity and intraspecific polymorphisms, both directly and indirectly promote local adaptation. My current research focuses on one of the most outstanding examples of intraspecific polymorphisms, the morphological and behavioural asymmetry of a scale-eating cichlid from Lake Tanganyika, Perissodus microlepis. This species is characterized by its asymmetric head which either bends to the left or the right. The head asymmetry is coupled with lateralized foraging behaviour, where left-bending morphs preferentially feed on the scales of the right side of prey, and vice versa for right morphs. The relative morph frequency of 50:50 makes this species a textbook example of the maintenance of variation in nature. I’m interested in dissecting the genetic basis of the traits that cause this phenomenon: (1) what is the genetic basis of morphological asymmetry? (2) can head asymmetry be induced by behaviour? If so, to what extent? (3) how is lateral foraging behaviour established during ontogeny and does it have a shared genetic basis with head asymmetry? I’m addressing these questions using a combination of population genomic approaches combined with a series of experiments using organismal and developmental biology techniques.
Awards and Grants:
2022
- 2022 Ohio Cichlid Association Jim Smith Endowment Fund Grant –$1,400 link
- 2022 PhD Fellowship (3 years), Hector Fellow Academy link
- 2019 “Beijing Vital River Laboratory Animal Technology” Scholarship in Northwest A&F University (China) – ￥5,000 link
- 2017 Postgraduate recommendation scholarship in Northwest A&F University (China) – ￥10,000
- 2017 Excellent undergraduate thesis in College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University (China)
- 2016 Excellent camper "A" grade in independent-enrollment summer camp in Shanghai Jiao Tong University (China)
- 2016 “NEW HOPE LIUHE” Scholarship in Northwest A&F University (China) – ￥2,000
- 2015 Excellent Student Cadre in Northwest A&F University
- 2014 Merit Student in Northwest A&F University
- 2014-2017 several first and second prize scholarships
- 06/22, Characterization of the genetic basis of mouth asymmetry in the scale-eating cichlid fish Perissodus microlepis, Genomics of Convergence Symposium, Germany
- Fall 2022 - Spring 2023, SMBE Virtual Lab Meeting Training Program participant at Kelley lab link
2022
- Li M#, Sun C#, Xu N#, Bian P#, Tian X#, Wang X#, Wang Y#, ..., Hu X*, Jiang Y*, Yang N* De novo assembly of 20 chicken genomes reveals the undetectable phenomenon for thousands of core genes on micro-chromosomes and sub-telomeric regions. Molecular Biology and Evolution (2022) doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msac066
- Tian X#, Li R#, Fu W#, …, Li M*, Jiang Y*. Building a sequence map of the pig pan-genome from multiple de novo assemblies and Hi-C data. SCIENCE CHINA Life Sciences (2019) doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11427-019-9551-7
- Li R#, Tian X#, Yang P, …, Jiang Y*. Recovery of non-reference sequences missing from the human reference genome. BMC genomics (2019) doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-019-6107-1
- Li R#, Fu W#, Su R#, Tian X, …, Li J*, Jiang Y*. Towards the Complete Goat Pan-Genome by Recovering Missing Genomic Segments From the Reference Genome. Frontiers in Genetics (2019) doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2019.01169