Life-history Trade-offs and the Evolution of Multicellularity

生命史权衡和多细胞的进化

• 批准号: 0742383
• 负责人: Richard Michod
• 金额: $ 72万
• 依托单位: University of Arizona
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-03-15 至 2013-02-28
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0742383&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Life; history; Trade; offs; Evolution

The major landmarks in the diversification of life and the hierarchical organization of the living world are consequences of a series of transitions in individuality, whereby groups of previously independent individuals become so integrated that a new kind of individual emerges. Such events include, for instance, the origin of the first cell, the evolution of multicellular organisms, and the evolution of societies. How and why do groups evolve into individuals? These are the central questions motivating our work. The evolution of multicellular organisms is the premier example of the integration of lower level individuals (cells) into a new, higher-level individual in which cells co-operate and specialize (i.e., division of labor) at functions related to survival (sterile somatic cells) or reproduction (germ cells). Using the volvocine green algae as an experimental model-system, this project studies how somatic cells evolved by examing the genetic basis for these traits. The processes responsible for that evolution will be examined through tests of the hypothesis that the cost of reproduction increases with body size, with this increasing cost selecting for increasing cellular specialization for functions affecting either reproduction or survival.This project is part of a larger initiative to develop the volvocine green algae as a model system to study complexity, much as other organisms serve the studies of genetics and development. This initiative includes the Volvocales Research and Education Center that will develop study plans and instructional materials for high schools to facilitate the study of complexity using Darwin's principles and the volvocine green algae as a model-system.

生活的多样化和生活世界的等级组织的主要里程碑是个性的一系列转变的结果，在这些转变中，以前独立的个体群体变得如此整合，以至于出现了一种新的个体。这些事件包括，例如，第一个细胞的起源，多细胞生物的进化，以及社会的进化。群体是如何以及为什么演变成个体的？这些是激励我们工作的核心问题。多细胞生物体的进化是较低水平的个体（细胞）整合成新的、较高水平的个体的首要例子，在该个体中，细胞合作和专门化（即，劳动分工）在与生存（不育体细胞）或生殖（生殖细胞）有关的功能。本计画以volvocine绿色藻类为实验模式系统，借由检视这些特徴的遗传基础，研究体细胞如何演化。负责进化的过程将通过假设的测试来检查，即繁殖成本随着身体大小的增加而增加，这种增加的成本选择增加细胞专业化，以影响繁殖或生存。该项目是一个更大的倡议的一部分，该倡议是开发volvocine绿色藻类作为研究复杂性的模型系统，就像其他生物为遗传学和发育研究服务一样。这一倡议包括Volvocales研究和教育中心，该中心将为高中制定学习计划和教材，以促进利用达尔文的原则和volvocine绿色藻类作为模型系统来研究复杂性。