DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Morphological and developmental disparity dynamics associated with the emergence of commensalism and the loss of swimming in "swimming" crabs

论文研究：与共栖现象的出现和“游泳”蟹游泳能力丧失相关的形态和发育差异动态

• 批准号: 1406368
• 负责人: Gustav Paulay
• 金额: $ 1.95万
• 依托单位: University of Florida
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-06-01 至 2016-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1406368&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Morphological; developmental; disparity

The proposed project will investigate how morphological and developmental diversity accumulated in a unique and charismatic lineage of crabs belonging to the economically important "swimming crab" family Portunidae. Diversification of these crabs included significant ecological divergence that involved abandoning a swimming lifestyle for sedentary, symbiotic relationships with reef-associated organisms. Research will include comparative analyses of size, shape and growth data. The primary goal of this work will be to infer whether significant developmental differences between these crabs were generated before, during or after significant changes in adult forms and whether these divergences correlate to the emergence of symbiotic associations in the group. Results of this work will contribute to an active area of research concerned with how external (e.g. ecological) and internal (e.g. developmental) factors influence morphological diversification.This project will provide the co-PI with opportunities to foster collaborations both nationally and internationally. It will also facilitate the training of undergraduate students on research methods in molecular systematics. Fieldwork activities will be shared with the public through the science blog "Adventures in Spineless Science!". Specimens, tissue samples and photographs collected for this work will be curated and archived at the Florida Museum of Natural History; making them available for other researchers. Results will be professionally communicated at scientific meetings and through publication in open-access journals.

拟议的项目将调查属于经济上重要的“梭子蟹”家族的螃蟹的独特和魅力谱系中形态和发育多样性是如何积累的。这些螃蟹的多样性包括显着的生态差异，涉及放弃游泳的生活方式，久坐不动，与珊瑚礁相关的生物体的共生关系。研究将包括对大小、形状和生长数据的比较分析。这项工作的主要目标将是推断这些螃蟹之间是否产生显着的发展差异之前，期间或之后的显着变化，在成年形式，以及这些分歧是否与共生协会的出现在组。这项工作的结果将有助于一个活跃的研究领域，关注外部（如生态）和内部（如发展）因素如何影响形态多样化。这个项目将提供合作PI的机会，促进国内和国际合作。它还将促进对本科生进行分子系统学研究方法的培训。实地考察活动将通过科学博客“在没有骨气的科学冒险！".为这项工作收集的标本、组织样本和照片将在佛罗里达自然历史博物馆进行策划和存档，供其他研究人员使用。研究结果将在科学会议上进行专业交流，并在开放获取的期刊上发表。