CAREER: Genetic Dissection of Developmental Evolution in a Poecilogonous Polychaete

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The spectacular diversity we observe among animals extends to their earliest developmental stages, including eggs, embryos, and larvae. The molecular and genetic mechanisms that give rise to this developmental diversity are poorly understood and have been difficult to study. This project is building tools to facilitate genetic analysis of developmental variation in a marine worm, Streblospio benedicti, whose unique attributes make it ideal for addressing developmental diversity. These animals, which are abundant in intertidal and subtidal mud along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the United States, are all very similar as adults but exhibit two very different modes of development. Individuals with different developmental modes are nevertheless capable of interbreeding, allowing for the genetic analysis of their eggs, embryos, and larvae. A freely accessible panel of genetically recombinant strains of S. benedicti, complemented by its genome sequence and genetic map, will enable researchers to discover the molecular mechanisms responsible for variation in animal development. These studies address many longstanding questions about the evolutionary origins of animal diversity, questions that have previously been out of reach of experimental investigations. The genomic tools will also fuel further research into the molecular and cellular biology of a poorly studied group of organisms, and methods for experimental manipulation of these animals will be developed. The research is coupled to the creation of an undergraduate course devoted to building knowledge of animal diversity, and high-school teachers and teachers-in-training will participate in the laboratory research to further national goals of specialized disciplinary expertise for STEM educators.