DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Tracing the Origins and History of Animal Phototransduction using Phylogenetic Approachs

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DEB-0710406 DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Tracing the Origins and History of Animal Phototransduction using Phylogenetic Approaches How does evolution proceed from common starting points and go on to generate the riotous display of biodiversity that we see today? The primary goal of this study is to shed light on this problem using the evolution of animal photosensitivity as a model, or case study. In nature, photosensitivity exists in numerous forms, ranging from the simple perception of light from dark, to the complex visual acuities common in animals such as humans. This study seeks to understand the origins of these diverse types of photosensitivity by comparing the evolutionary histories of individual proteins that are involved in receiving and transmitting light information. Specifically, the branching profile of the different proteins can suggest underlying, general, processes that have contributed to the evolutionary diversification of photosensitivity in animals. This project differs from other studies that have focused on the evolutionary origin of diversity in two ways. First, the comparative phylogenetic approach employed is novel in that it applies methods commonly used to understand the co-evolution of species, to the problem of protein-protein co-evolution. Second, for the first time, the researchers explore the early evolution of photosensitivity in basal animal lineages such as Hydra, a close relative to jellyfish. In this way, this study will provide an insight into the origin of animal photosensitivity.