Resolving Arthropod Phylogeny Using Multiple Nuclear Genes

9629791舒尔茨因为节肢动物(蜘蛛、螃蟹、昆虫及其近亲)包含了无与伦比的结构和分类多样性，并拥有极其丰富的古老化石记录，因此为解决进化生物学中的基本问题提供了许多机会。任何有意义的合成都需要对节肢动物之间的相互关系有一个明确的了解；但主要节肢动物谱系之间的系统发育关系很难恢复。人们提出了许多不同且有争议的重建方案。在这项研究中，Jeffrey W.Schultz和Jerome C.Regier将确定，对两个进化缓慢的核基因--延伸因子1a和RNA聚合酶II--的DNA序列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节肢动物的大样本中获取这些基因并对其进行测序，并将使用系统发育重建方法对这些序列进行分析。对其他生物的研究表明，这些基因适合于分析谱系，就像节肢动物的谱系被认为是古代的分歧一样。一个更完整的节肢动物系统发育树将为解决有关节肢动物和其他生命形式的系统发育和结构多样化的节奏和模式的基本问题提供一个独特和有用的框架。

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.