AToL: Collaborative: Phylogeny of Lepidoptera: A Genomics-inspired, Community Collaboration

AToL：合作：鳞翅目系统发育：基因组学启发的社区合作

• 批准号: 0531639
• 负责人: Susan Weller
• 金额: $ 20.24万
• 依托单位: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-01-01 至 2011-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0531639&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: AToL; Collaborative; Phylogeny; Lepidoptera; Genomics

This collaborative, multi-disciplinary project will exploit recent progress in genomics - the study of the complete genetic content of species and how it works - to greatly advance our knowledge of evolutionary relationships in the insect order Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies). A broad-scale "family tree" (phylogeny, genealogy) will be estimated using DNA sequences from approximately 250 species, representing all 126 families into which Lepidoptera are currently divided. A simultaneous review of known lepidopteran fossils will allow estimation of the geological ages of origin of the major groups. The 24 genes to be sequenced, identified by genome comparisons and screening in an earlier Tree of Life project, constitute far greater sampling of the genome than has heretofore been possible in most insects. Beyond providing a "backbone" phylogeny, the project is designed to catalyze a world-wide community effort to further resolve the lepidopteran tree, incorporating more traditional evidence from anatomy and behavior in addition to DNA. Annual lab workshops will help other lepidopterists to apply the numerous genes developed for this project, methods for which will be continuously updated on the web. An international network of 20 experts on Lepidoptera will help to choose species and provide specimens for project DNA sequencing. These experts will also jointly produce the first comprehensive catalog of anatomical features potentially informative about lepidopteran family genealogy, clarifying the chaotic terminology which has frustrated previous attempts to employ these traits for tree-building. A central project feature, also borrowed from modern genomics, will be an interactive website allowing the project team plus any other researcher to contribute and download data, methods, analysis and commentary on lepidopteran phylogeny at any level. The intent is to foster global cooperation and progress toward a fully-resolved tree. The web site will be "seeded" with most of the current evidence, to ensure a critical mass of information for others to build on. The same compilations will be used to greatly augment the available resources for public education on Lepidoptera, through contributions to popular web sites such as the Tree of Life. The Lepidoptera are the largest single group of plant-feeding insects, numbering over 160,000 species. Ubiquitous and familiar, they are both a vital component of terrestrial ecosystems - what would birds and bats eat without them?- and arguably the most damaging group of pests overall to agriculture. As unusually conspicuous terrestrial non-vertebrates, Lepidoptera are extensively used in ecosystem assessment, and for educating and involving the public in environmental biology. They are also important focal organisms in many areas of biological research. For example, the evolutionary diversification of Lepidoptera in association with the rise of flowering plants, beginning in the Age of Dinosaurs, has figured prominently in the attempt to understand the origins of today's biodiversity. A well- corroborated "family tree" is essential both for understanding any aspect of lepidopteran evolution, and for constructing classifications that let us effectively organize and apply our voluminous knowledge about individual moth and butterfly species. However, relatively little progress toward such a tree has heretofore been made.

这个合作的多学科项目将利用基因组学--研究物种的完整遗传内容及其工作原理--的最新进展，极大地促进我们对昆虫目鳞翅目(飞蛾和蝴蝶)进化关系的了解。将使用来自大约250个物种的DNA序列来估计大范围的“家谱”(系统发生、系谱)，这些物种代表了目前鳞翅目所划分的所有126个科。同时审查已知的鳞翅目化石将有助于估计主要类群的地质起源年龄。在早期的生命之树项目中，通过基因组比较和筛选确定了将被测序的24个基因，它们构成的基因组样本比迄今为止在大多数昆虫中可能产生的样本要大得多。除了提供“主干”的系统发育，该项目还旨在催化世界范围内的社区努力，进一步解析鳞翅目昆虫树，除了DNA外，还包括更多来自解剖学和行为的传统证据。一年一度的实验室研讨会将帮助其他鳞翅目昆虫应用为该项目开发的众多基因，其方法将在网络上不断更新。一个由20名鳞翅目专家组成的国际网络将帮助选择物种并为DNA测序项目提供标本。这些专家还将共同编制关于鳞翅目家谱的第一个具有潜在信息性的解剖特征的综合目录，澄清混乱的术语，这些术语曾挫败了以前利用这些特征建树的尝试。同样借鉴现代基因组学的一个核心项目功能将是一个互动网站，允许项目团队和任何其他研究人员提供和下载任何级别的鳞翅目系统发育的数据、方法、分析和评论。其目的是促进全球合作，朝着一棵完全解决的树取得进展。该网站将“播种”大多数当前的证据，以确保信息的临界量，以供其他人建立。这些汇编将用于通过向诸如生命之树等受欢迎的网站投稿，极大地增加现有的鳞翅目公共教育资源。鳞翅目昆虫是以植物为食的昆虫中最大的一类，数量超过16万种。它们无处不在，也很常见，它们都是陆地生态系统的重要组成部分--没有它们，鸟类和蝙蝠会吃什么？--而且可以说，它们是对农业整体破坏最大的一类害虫。鳞翅目昆虫作为一种非常引人注目的陆生非脊椎动物，被广泛应用于生态系统评价、环境生物学教育和公众参与等领域。它们也是许多生物学研究领域的重要焦点生物。例如，鳞翅目的进化多样化与开花植物的兴起有关，始于恐龙时代，在试图了解当今生物多样性的起源方面发挥了突出的作用。对于理解鳞翅目昆虫进化的任何方面，以及构建分类，让我们有效地组织和应用我们关于个别蛾和蝴蝶物种的大量知识，一棵得到充分证实的“家谱”都是必不可少的。然而，到目前为止，在建造这样一棵树方面取得的进展相对较少。