Developmental Mechanisms of Beak Shape Evolution in Galapagos Finches

加拉帕戈斯雀喙形进化的发育机制

• 批准号: 1257122
• 负责人: Arkhat Abzhanov
• 金额: $ 55万
• 依托单位: Harvard University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-03-01 至 2016-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1257122&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Developmental; Mechanisms; Beak; Shape; Evolution

Darwin's Finches are a classic textbook example of evolution by natural selection. Since Charles Darwin, who introduced these birds to science, they have been studied by generations of ecologists and evolutionary biologists. Previous investigations have shown the adaptive significance of their diverse beak shapes, which allow them to survive on distinct food sources. However, the genetic and molecular mechanisms behind these highly adaptive biological shapes remained unknown. Dr. Abzhanov and colleagues recently demonstrated that beak diversity in Darwin's Finches is not random but follows a particular series of mathematical transitions and all their beaks can be classified as sets of related geometric shapes. This project aims to uncover the precise molecular mechanisms by sequencing, comparing and analyzing multiple genes involved in development of distinct beak shapes across Darwin's Finches. It is expected that important new regulatory molecules will be identified and validated using functional experiments. Therefore, biological diversity will be explained both by forces of natural selection and by particular genetic changes that made such adaptations possible. The integration of this work with the long-standing evolutionary, ecological and conservation studies on Darwin's Finches will provide a more mechanistic explanation for evolution in the minds of high school and college textbook writers, school teachers and science news writers and publicists who bring most significant findings to scientific and general public audiences. Investigators will work with the Harvard University Museum of Natural History, which is attended by tens of thousands of K-12 students and teachers each year, to establish a new educational exhibit on bird evolution that will focus on the emergence of the bird face from the reptilian condition and subsequent beak diversification to explain evolutionary processes. Finally, this project will advance training and mentoring of undergraduates, graduate students and post-doctoral fellows and will yield salient research and training research opportunities.

达尔文的雀类是自然选择进化论的经典教科书。自从查尔斯·达尔文将这些鸟类引入科学以来，几代生态学家和进化生物学家一直在对它们进行研究。之前的研究表明，它们不同的喙形状具有适应能力，这使得它们能够依靠不同的食物来源生存。然而，这些高度适应性生物形状背后的遗传和分子机制仍然未知。Abzhanov博士和他的同事最近证明，达尔文雀鸟喙的多样性不是随机的，而是遵循一系列特定的数学转变，它们的所有喙都可以归类为一组相关的几何形状。该项目旨在通过对达尔文雀鸟不同喙形状发育过程中涉及的多个基因进行测序、比较和分析，揭示其确切的分子机制。预计将通过功能实验识别和验证重要的新调节分子。因此，生物多样性既可以通过自然选择的力量来解释，也可以通过使这种适应成为可能的基因变化来解释。这项工作与达尔文雀类长期存在的进化、生态和保护研究相结合，将为高中和大学教科书作者、学校教师以及科学新闻作家和公关人员的头脑中的进化提供更机械的解释，他们将把最重要的发现带给科学和普通公众。研究人员将与每年有数万名K-12学生和教师参加的哈佛大学自然历史博物馆合作，建立一个新的鸟类进化教育展览，重点关注鸟类从爬行动物状态出现的脸以及随后的喙变化，以解释进化过程。最后，该项目将促进对本科生、研究生和博士后研究员的培训和指导，并将产生显著的研究和培训研究机会。