ATOL: The Deep Scaly Project: Resolving Squamate Phylogeny Using Genomic and Morphological Approaches

杨百翰大学（Brigham Young University）的杰克·w·斯特（Jack W. Sites, Jr.）博士获得了一笔拨款，用于研究有鳞爬行动物（蜥蜴和蛇）的进化史。有鳞动物有7700多种，是仅次于鸟类的第二大脊椎动物。鳞片动物进化中的许多关键问题仍未得到解决，如鳞片动物最原始谱系的鉴定、蛇的起源、毒蛇与其他蛇类谱系的关系等。一个由来自不同机构（杨百翰大学、菲尔德自然历史博物馆、圣地亚哥州立大学、纽约州立大学石溪分校、阿德莱德大学、德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校和耶鲁大学）的八名研究人员组成的国际团队将合作解决鳞片动物的关系。活的和化石形式的解剖数据将与142个代表性鳞动物物种的50个基因的DNA序列相结合。解剖数据将使用传统方法和新的高分辨率x射线扫描技术获得。DNA数据将通过整合来自最近脊椎动物基因组计划的新工具和数据库来生成。计算机建模将用于确定如何将分子和化石研究的数据最好地结合起来重建进化树。Sites博士将是负责基因选择和测序的几位研究人员之一，Gauthier博士（耶鲁大学通过杨百翰大学分包）将是负责收集形态学和古生物学数据的几位研究人员之一。鳞片是生物学中一个重要的模式系统，了解鳞片的进化史对于全面了解脊椎动物的进化和生态学至关重要。在世界许多地方，毒蛇对人类安全构成重大威胁，识别是有效治疗的关键。一个创新的网站将允许被蛇咬伤的受害者和医务人员识别他们所在地区的毒蛇。博士后研究人员和学生将参与该项目的几乎每一个方面，因此，许多未来的生物学家和教育工作者的培训将得到支持。

A grant has been awarded to Dr. Jack W. Sites, Jr. of Brigham Young University to study the evolutionary history of squamate reptiles (lizards and snakes). With more than 7,700 species, squamates are the second largest group of vertebrates after birds. Many critical questions in squamate evolution remain unresolved, such as identification of the most primitive lineage of squamates, the origin of snakes, and the relationships of venomous snakes to other snake lineages. An international team of eight investigators from diverse institutions (Brigham Young University, Field Museum of Natural History, San Diego State University, State University of New York-Stony Brook, University of Adelaide, University of Texas-Austin, and Yale University) will collaborate to resolve squamate relationships. Anatomical data from living and fossil forms will be combined with DNA sequences from 50 genes for 142 representative squamate species. Anatomical data will be obtained using traditional methods and new high resolution X-ray scanning techniques. DNA data will be generated by incorporating new tools and databases from recent vertebrate genome projects. Computer modeling will be used to determine how data from molecular and fossil studies can best be combined to reconstruct evolutionary trees. Dr. Sites will be one of several researchers responsible for the selection and sequencing of genes, and Dr. Gauthier (Yale Univ. is subcontracted through BYU) will be one of several researchers responsible for collection of morphological and paleontological data.Squamates are an important model system in biology, and understanding their evolutionary history is critical for a complete picture of vertebrate evolution and ecology. Venomous snakes pose an important threat to human safety in many parts of the world, and identification is critical for effective treatment. An innovative web-site will allow snakebite victims and medical workers to identify the venomous snakes in their area. Postdoctoral researchers and students will be involved in nearly every aspect of the project, and thus the training of many future biologists and educators will be supported.