Resolving Arthropod Phylogeny Using Multiple Nuclear Genes

9629791 Shultz由于节肢动物（蜘蛛、螃蟹、昆虫及其亲属）具有无与伦比的结构和分类多样性，并拥有极其丰富和古老的化石记录，因此它们为解决进化生物学中的基本问题提供了许多机会。 任何有意义的综合都需要对节肢动物之间的关系有一个明确的理解;但是主要节肢动物谱系之间的系统发育关系很难恢复。 许多不同的和有争议的重建已经提出。 在这项研究中，Jeffrey W. Schultz和杰罗姆C. Regier将确定对两个缓慢进化的核基因（延伸因子1a和RNA聚合酶II）的DNA序列的分析是否可以为节肢动物提供更强大的系统发育重建。 研究人员将从代表所有主要类群的大量节肢动物样本中获得这些基因并进行测序，并将使用系统发育重建方法分析这些序列。 对其他生物体的研究表明，这些基因适用于分析古代分支的节肢动物谱系。 一个更充分解决节肢动物的系统发育树将提供一个独特的和有用的框架，解决有关节肢动物和其他形式的生活的系统发育和结构多样化的节奏和模式的基本问题。

9629791 Shultz Because they encompass an unparalleled range of structural and taxonomic diversity and have an extremely rich and ancient fossil record, the arthropods (spiders, crabs, insects and their relatives) offer many opportunities for addressing fundamental issues in evolutionary biology. Any meaningful synthesis requires a firm understanding of how the arthropods are related to one another; but the phylogenetic relationships among the major arthropod lineages are difficult to recover. Many different and controversial reconstructions have been proposed. In this study, Jeffrey W. Schultz and Jerome C. Regier will determine whether analysis of the DNA sequences of two slowly-evolving nuclear genes, elongation factor 1a and RNA polymerase II, can provide a more robust phylogenetic reconstruction for arthropods. The researchers will obtain and sequence these genes from a large sample of arthropods representing all major groups, and will analyze these sequences using phylogenetic reconstruction methods. Studies on other organisms have suggested that these genes are appropriate for the analysis of lineages as anciently diverged as the arthropod lineages are thought to be. A more fully resolved phylogenetic tree for arthropods will offer a unique and useful framework for addressing basic questions about the tempo and mode of phylogenetic and structural diversification in arthropods and in other forms of life.