Evolution in deep-sea molluscs

深海软体动物的进化

• 批准号: 0726382
• 负责人: Ron Etter
• 金额: $ 59.21万
• 依托单位: University of Massachusetts Boston
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2007-09-15 至 2011-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0726382&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Evolution; deep; sea; molluscs

The deep-sea supports one of the most diverse and unique marine communities, the evolutionary and historical development of which are virtually unknown. This research project will contribute very significantly to answering the two most basic questions about evolutionary diversification in this vast environment: Where does it occur, and how? It will also create a solid conceptual and methodological context for future evolutionary studies in the deep sea. In this project, the investigators have developed a deep-sea sampling program to address three main hypotheses about evolution in the deep sea that have emerged from their previous work. 1) The depth differentiation hypothesis suggesting population divergence decreases with depth. 2) The strong break in population structure at 3300 m may represent an unrecognized phylogeographic barrier. 3) Abyssal populations may be sinks that suffer chronic local extinction from being too rare to mate successfully, and are maintained by continued immigration from more abundant bathyal source populations. The investigators will test each of these hypotheses using deep-sea protobranch bivalves and multiple independent loci. Nuclear loci are essential as independent measures of population structure, gene flow and historical influences, but are also critical to establish whether some of the remarkable divergences we have documented represent cryptic species. The primary focus of this project is to collect the samples and develop nuclear markers from those samples that are sufficiently variable in deep-sea protobranchs to test each of the hypotheses and distinguish intra versus interspecific variation.The source-sink hypothesis of abyssal biodiversity is the most synthetic and comprehensive explanation of large-scale patterns of species diversity in the deep ocean. If proven correct by the proposed study of population genetic structure, it will greatly simplify our understanding of both evolutionary and ecological causes of species diversity patterns. Broader impacts of the research program include training for undergraduate and graduate students and public school teachers. UMass-Boston students and faculty have outstanding opportunities to be directly involved in science education and public outreach at all levels. The biology Department has NSF-Research Experiences for Undergraduate and NSF-Undergraduate Mentoring in Environmental Biology grants oriented toward underrepresented minorities. The campus has a Boston Science Partnership Grant to upgrade high school science curricula and a Center of Ocean Science Education Excellence to foster public awareness of ocean science. The research also has broad relevance for conservation and sustainable development of the deep-sea ecosystem. Genetic population structure is a crucial component of biodiversity, and has important implications for extinction potential from deep-sea exploitation.

深海是最多样化和最独特的海洋群落之一，其进化和历史发展几乎无人知晓。这个研究项目将有助于回答两个最基本的问题，进化多样化在这个广阔的环境：它发生在哪里，以及如何？它还将为今后的深海进化研究创造坚实的概念和方法背景。在这个项目中，研究人员开发了一个深海采样程序，以解决他们以前的工作中出现的关于深海进化的三个主要假设。 1)深度分化假说表明种群分化随深度的增加而减小。2)在海拔3300米处种群结构的强烈突变可能代表了一个未被认识到的地理屏障。3)深海种群可能是水槽，遭受慢性局部灭绝是太罕见的成功交配，并保持从更丰富的半深海源种群的持续移民。研究人员将使用深海原鳃双壳类和多个独立的位点来检验这些假设。核基因座作为种群结构、基因流动和历史影响的独立衡量标准是必不可少的，但对于确定我们所记录的一些显着分歧是否代表神秘物种也至关重要。该项目的主要重点是收集深海原鳃类中具有足够变异性的样本，并从这些样本中开发核标记，以检验每一种假设，并区分种内变异和种间变异深海生物多样性的源-汇假设是对深海物种多样性大规模格局的最综合和全面的解释。如果被种群遗传结构的研究证明是正确的，它将大大简化我们对物种多样性模式的进化和生态原因的理解。该研究项目的更广泛影响包括对本科生、研究生和公立学校教师的培训。麻省大学波士顿分校的学生和教师有很好的机会直接参与各级科学教育和公共宣传。生物系有NSF研究经验的本科生和NSF本科生指导环境生物学赠款面向代表性不足的少数民族。校园有一个波士顿科学伙伴关系赠款，以升级高中科学课程和海洋科学教育卓越中心，以促进公众对海洋科学的认识。这项研究对深海生态系统的养护和可持续发展也具有广泛意义。遗传种群结构是生物多样性的一个重要组成部分，对深海开发造成的灭绝可能性具有重要影响。