Identifying the genetic basis of behavior has remained a challenge for biologists. A major obstacle to this goal is the difficulty of examining gene function in an ecologically relevant context. New tools such as CRISPR/Cas9, which alter the germline of an organism, have taken center stage in functional genomics in non-model organisms. However, germline modifications of this nature cannot be ethically implemented in the wild as a part of field experiments. This impediment is more than technical. Gene function is intimately tied to the environment in which the gene is expressed, especially for behavior. Most lab-based studies fail to recapitulate an organism's ecological niche, thus most published functional genomics studies of gene-behavior relationships may provide an incomplete or even inaccurate assessment of gene function. In this review, we highlight RNA interference as an especially effective experimental method to deepen our understanding of the interplay between genes, behavior, and the environment. We highlight the utility of RNAi for researchers investigating behavioral genetics, noting unique attributes of RNAi including transience of effect and the feasibility of releasing treated animals into the wild, that make it especially useful for studying the function of behavior-related genes. Furthermore, we provide guidelines for planning and executing an RNAi experiment to study behavior, including challenges to consider. We urge behavioral ecologists and functional genomicists to adopt a more fully integrated approach which we call "ethological genomics". We advocate this approach, utilizing tools such as RNAi, to study gene-behavior relationships in their natural context, arguing such studies can provide a deeper understanding of how genes can influence behavior, as well as ecological aspects beyond the organism that houses them.

中文翻译：

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为功能基因组学而狂奔：RNA干扰作为研究各种物种和生态环境中的基因行为关联的工具。

鉴定行为的遗传基础仍然是生物学家的挑战。该目标的主要障碍是难以在生态相关的背景下检查基因功能。改变生物种系的新工具，例如CRISPR / Cas9，已在非模型生物的功能基因组学中占据中心位置。但是，这种性质的种系修饰不能作为野外实验的一部分在野外以伦理方式实施。这种障碍不仅仅是技术上的。基因功能与基因表达的环境密切相关，特别是对于行为而言。大多数基于实验室的研究未能概括有机体的生态位，因此，大多数已发表的基因行为关系的功能基因组学研究都可能提供对基因功能的不完整甚至不准确的评估。在这篇评论中 我们强调RNA干扰是一种特别有效的实验方法，可以加深我们对基因，行为和环境之间相互作用的理解。我们着重指出了RNAi在研究行为遗传学的研究人员中的实用性，并指出RNAi的独特属性，包括效应的短暂性以及将经过处理的动物释放到野外的可行性，这使得RNAi对研究与行为相关的基因的功能特别有用。此外，我们提供了计划和执行RNAi实验以研究行为（包括要考虑的挑战）的指南。我们敦促行为生态学家和功能基因组学家采取一种更加完全整合的方法，我们称之为“道德基因组学”。我们提倡使用RNAi，