AToL: Collaborative Research: Phylogeny of Lepidoptera: A Genomics-inspired, Community Collaboration

AToL：合作研究：鳞翅目系统发育：基因组学启发的社区合作

• 批准号: 1042845
• 负责人: Jerome Regier
• 金额: $ 28.71万
• 依托单位: University of Maryland, College Park
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-03-27 至 2013-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1042845&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: AToL; Collaborative; Research; Phylogeny; Lepidoptera

This collaborative, multi-disciplinary project will exploit recent progress in genomics - the study of the complete genetic content of species and how it works - to greatly advance our knowledge of evolutionary relationships in the insect order Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies). A broad-scale "family tree" (phylogeny, genealogy) will be estimated using DNA sequences from approximately 250 species, representing all 126 families into which Lepidoptera are currently divided. A simultaneous review of known lepidopteran fossils will allow estimation of the geological ages of origin of the major groups. The 24 genes to be sequenced, identified by genome comparisons and screening in an earlier Tree of Life project, constitute far greater sampling of the genome than has heretofore been possible in most insects. Beyond providing a "backbone" phylogeny, the project is designed to catalyze a world-wide community effort to further resolve the lepidopteran tree, incorporating more traditional evidence from anatomy and behavior in addition to DNA. Annual lab workshops will help other lepidopterists to apply the numerous genes developed for this project, methods for which will be continuously updated on the web. An international network of 20 experts on Lepidoptera will help to choose species and provide specimens for project DNA sequencing. These experts will also jointly produce the first comprehensive catalog of anatomical features potentially informative about lepidopteran family genealogy, clarifying the chaotic terminology which has frustrated previous attempts to employ these traits for tree-building. A central project feature, also borrowed from modern genomics, will be an interactive website allowing the project team plus any other researcher to contribute and download data, methods, analysis and commentary on lepidopteran phylogeny at any level. The intent is to foster global cooperation and progress toward a fully-resolved tree. The web site will be "seeded" with most of the current evidence, to ensure a critical mass of information for others to build on. The same compilations will be used to greatly augment the available resources for public education on Lepidoptera, through contributions to popular web sites such as the Tree of Life. The Lepidoptera are the largest single group of plant-feeding insects, numbering over 160,000 species. Ubiquitous and familiar, they are both a vital component of terrestrial ecosystems - what would birds and bats eat without them?- and arguably the most damaging group of pests overall to agriculture. As unusually conspicuous terrestrial non-vertebrates, Lepidoptera are extensively used in ecosystem assessment, and for educating and involving the public in environmental biology. They are also important focal organisms in many areas of biological research. For example, the evolutionary diversification of Lepidoptera in association with the rise of flowering plants, beginning in the Age of Dinosaurs, has figured prominently in the attempt to understand the origins of today's biodiversity. A well- corroborated "family tree" is essential both for understanding any aspect of lepidopteran evolution, and for constructing classifications that let us effectively organize and apply our voluminous knowledge about individual moth and butterfly species. However, relatively little progress toward such a tree has heretofore been made.

这个合作的多学科项目将利用基因组学的最新进展-研究物种的完整遗传内容及其如何工作-大大推进我们对昆虫目（蛾和蝴蝶）进化关系的了解。 一个大规模的“家谱”（家谱，系谱）将估计使用DNA序列从大约250个物种，代表所有126个家庭，其中鳞翅目目前分为。同时审查已知的鳞翅目化石将允许估计的地质年龄的起源的主要群体。在早期的生命之树项目中，通过基因组比较和筛选确定了24个待测序的基因，这24个基因构成了比迄今为止大多数昆虫可能的基因组样本大得多的基因组样本。 除了提供一个“骨干”的基因组学，该项目旨在促进世界范围内的社区努力，以进一步解决鳞翅目昆虫树，结合更多的传统证据，从解剖学和行为，除了DNA。每年的实验室研讨会将帮助其他鳞翅目昆虫学家应用为该项目开发的众多基因，其方法将在网络上不断更新。一个由20名鳞翅目专家组成的国际网络将帮助选择物种，并为DNA测序项目提供标本。 这些专家还将联合编制第一个全面的解剖特征目录，这些解剖特征可能提供有关鳞翅目家族谱系的信息，澄清混乱的术语，这些术语阻碍了以前利用这些特征进行树木建造的尝试。项目的一个核心特点也是借鉴了现代基因组学，将是一个互动网站，使项目小组和任何其他研究人员能够在任何层面上贡献和下载鳞翅目昆虫发生学的数据、方法、分析和评论。其目的是促进全球合作，并朝着完全解决树木的方向前进。该网站将“播种”目前的大多数证据，以确保为其他网站提供足够数量的信息，通过向生命之树等受欢迎的网站提供资料，将利用这些资料汇编，大大增加关于鳞翅目昆虫的公共教育的现有资源。 鳞翅目昆虫是最大的单一群体的植物饲养昆虫，数量超过160，000种。它们无处不在，为人所熟悉，都是陆地生态系统的重要组成部分--如果没有它们，鸟类和蝙蝠会吃什么呢？可以说是对农业最具破坏性的害虫。 鳞翅目昆虫作为一种非常引人注目的陆生非脊椎动物，在生态系统评价、环境生物学教育和公众参与等方面有着广泛的应用。 它们也是许多生物学研究领域的重要焦点生物。例如，从恐龙时代开始，鳞翅目的进化多样化与开花植物的兴起有关，在试图理解今天生物多样性的起源方面占有突出地位。一个得到充分证实的“家谱”对于理解鳞翅目进化的任何方面都是必不可少的，对于构建分类，让我们有效地组织和应用我们关于个别蛾和蝴蝶物种的大量知识也是必不可少的。 然而，迄今为止，在这种树方面取得的进展相对较少。