Collaborative Research: Systematics and Evolution of Hemichordates

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Hemichordates are a group of marine invertebrates comprising over 100 species of solitary and colonial wormlike creatures. Hemichordates have figured prominently in hypotheses of the evolutionary origins of chordates because they are relatively primitive relatives of vertebrate animals. Because of their primitiveness, hemichordates also provide a key comparison group to understand the evolution of key innovations of vertebrates, such as gill slits and a hollow nerve chord. However, hemichordates have not been studied in depth, and evolutionary relationships within the group are not well understood. The proposed work will use genomic approaches to identify genes that will elucidate evolutionary relationships among the hemichordates and clarify the evolutionary history of the vertebrates in a broader sense. Results of this research will provide a greater understanding of cellular, genetic, and developmental programs that were likely present in the ancestral lineage that led to chordates and have been evolutionarily conserved during vertebrate evolutionary history. Understanding hemichordate evolution is central to research in fields ranging from neurobiology to developmental biology to physiology, and the results of this research will be of wide interest to many fields of science. The project will support training of students at various levels from K-12 to graduate school. Undergraduates, including members of underrepresented groups, will participate in the project through courses on the campuses of Auburn University, the University of Washington, and the Friday Harbor marine laboratories. The research will be publicized through talks to public schools, web-based outlets, and introductory biology textbooks.