Integrating Evolution and Development of Novelty and Diversity through the Study of Horned Beetles

通过角甲虫的研究整合新颖性和多样性的进化和发展

• 批准号: 1120209
• 负责人: Armin Moczek
• 金额: $ 61.7万
• 依托单位: Indiana University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-01-01 至 2016-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1120209&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Integrating; Evolution; Development; Novelty; Diversity

Biologists have learned a great deal about the developmental and genetic changes that are necessary to facilitate gradual evolutionary modifications. For instance, much is known about the genetic and developmental basis that enable legs or wings to become longer, or eyes to become more efficient in a given environment. However, little remains known about how major complex traits, such as legs, wings or eyes, originate in the first place. What does it take to evolve the first limb, or wing, or eye, from a limbless and blind ancestor? This research investigates the origin and diversification of novel traits using the unique, diverse and morphologically spectacular horns of beetles as focal traits. Beetle horns are produced in body regions in which other insects do not produce outgrowths, are highly variable in shape and size, and endow their bearers with an ecologically important function: a weapon to be used in combat between rival males over females. Beetle horns thus offer an outstanding opportunity to investigate the genetic and developmental means by which novel traits come into being and are elaborated upon as a group of organisms diversifies. Specifically, this research uses molecular genetic and developmental approaches to investigate the regulation of growth, shape, and positioning of traditional appendages (such as legs or wings) and recently evolved, novel appendages (such as horns). In doing so, this research aims to identify the degree to which innovation and diversification in nature are enabled by novel genes and developmental pathways, or the re-use and modification of existing genes and pathways, or combinations of these two alternatives. As such it addresses a fundamental, unresolved question in evolutionary and developmental biology: how novelty can arise in nature from within the confines of ancestral variation. Lastly, this research interfaces tightly with several educational and outreach efforts. (1) Using a collaboration with a local children's museum for science, health and technology this research will help provide training and educational resources in insect biology to approximately 180 local and regional K-12 teachers over the course of 3 years. (2) This research will help train at least 8 young scientists (6 undergraduate students, 1 graduate student, 1 postdoc) in intensive interdisciplinary research. (3) Lastly, it will facilitate educational outreach by helping recruit 6 high school teachers and 6 minority high school students for summer research immersion and introduce them to research in development, evolution, and ecology.

生物学家已经了解了有关促进逐步进化修饰所必需的发展和遗传变化的大量知识。例如，关于使腿或翅膀变得更长的遗传和发育基础知之甚少，或者眼睛在给定环境中变得更加有效。然而，关于主要复杂性状（例如腿部，翅膀或眼睛）如何起源于首先，几乎不知道。从一个有限的和盲目的祖先中进化了第一个肢体，机翼或眼睛需要什么？ 这项研究使用甲虫作为焦点性状的独特，多样和形态上壮观的角来研究新特征的起源和多样化。甲虫的角是在其他昆虫不产生产物的人体区域产生的，形状和大小高度变化，并赋予他们的承载者具有生态上重要的功能：一种用于对竞争对手男性在女性之间作战的武器。因此，甲虫的角提供了一个出色的机会，可以研究新颖特征成立并被详细阐述的遗传和发展手段，因为一组生物会多样化。具体而言，该研究使用分子遗传和发育方法来研究传统附属物（例如腿或翅膀）的生长，形状和定位的调节，并最近进化，新型附属物（例如角）。在这样做的过程中，这项研究旨在确定新型基因和发育途径可以使自然界的创新和多样化在多大程度上，或对现有基因和途径的重复使用和修改，或者对这两种选择的组合。因此，它解决了进化和发育生物学中的基本，尚未解决的问题：来自祖先变异范围内的自然界中如何出现新颖性。最后，这项研究与几项教育和外展工作紧密相关。 （1）与当地儿童科学博物馆合作，健康和技术这项研究将有助于在3年的时间内为大约180个本地和地区的K-12教师提供昆虫生物学的培训和教育资源。 （2）这项研究将有助于培训至少8位年轻科学家（6名本科生，1名研究生，1个博士后）进行密集的跨学科研究。 （3）最后，它将通过帮助招募6名高中教师和6名少数族裔学生进行夏季研究的浸入式研究，并将其介绍给开发，进化和生态学研究，从而有助于教育外展。