The genetic architecture of reproductive caste determination in ants

该奖项是根据2009年《美国复苏和再投资法案》(公法111-5)提供资金的。社会性的进化是生命的主要转变之一，类似于单细胞有机体合并形成多细胞生命。在高度社会化的昆虫社会中，一些个体，即蜂王，专门从事繁殖，而另一些个体，即工蚁，则执行群体生存所必需的所有其他任务。这种分工体系是社会昆虫社会的基础，昆虫社会是地球上最进化和最生态成功的物种之一。这个项目的主要目标是对蚂蚁的基因组进行排序，以确定驱动形态和生理分工的遗传机制。收割机蚂蚁Pogonomyrmex barbatus是研究得最好的蚂蚁物种之一，是基础生态学的模型；它启发了社会昆虫算法在人类生活的各个方面(从计算到土木工程)的应用。该项目由三种互补的方法组成，旨在识别导致个体发育为女王或工蚁的基因。这个项目的结果将揭示已经发生的基因变化，这些变化将把孤独的个人转变为更大社会中合作的一部分。此外，测序的蚂蚁基因组将为更大的研究社区提供资源，并有助于探索与生态、进化、发展和行为等更大领域的许多主要主题有关的问题。该项目将通过以前建立的伙伴关系，包括发展中国家(墨西哥)的伙伴关系，让来自K-12的学生参与科学教育的所有梯队。对下一代科学家进行现代生物学方法和途径方面的培训是必要的，而且只有在所有资源都是公开和可获得的基因组项目的公共资助下才有可能。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). The evolution of sociality is one of life's major transitions, similar to the merging of unicellular organisms to make multicellular life. In the highly social insect societies some individuals, the queens, specialize at reproduction while others, the workers, carry out all of the other tasks necessary for colony survival. This division of labor system is the foundation of social insect societies, which are among the most evolutionary and ecologically successful species on earth. The primary objective of this project is to sequence the genome of an ant in order to identify the genetic mechanisms that drive the morphological and physiological division of labor. The harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex barbatus, is one of the best studied ant species and is a model for basic ecology; it has been an inspiration for the application of social insect algorithms into aspects of human life (from computing to civil engineering). This project is composed of three complementary approaches designed to identify genes responsible for whether an individual develops as a queen or worker. Results of this project will shed light on the genetic changes that have taken place that transform the lone individual into a cooperating part of a larger society. Additionally, a sequenced ant genome will provide a resource for the larger research community and aid in the exploration of questions related to many major themes in the larger fields of ecology, evolution, development and behavior. This project will involve students from K-12 through all echelons of science education through previously established partnerships, including those in developing countries (Mexico). Training the next generation of scientists in modern biological methods and approaches is essential and only possible with the public funding of genomic projects where all resources are made open and accessible.