NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2021: Inference of the repeated evolution of prothoracic defensive glands in the Tenebrionidae (Coleoptera)

该行动资助了2021财年的NSF生物学博士后研究奖学金，即调查基因组，环境和表型之间相互作用的生命规则的综合研究。该研究金支持研究员的研究和培训，以创新的方式为生活规则领域做出贡献。 昆虫使用化学分泌物的原因有很多，包括寻找食物、交配和抵御捕食者。腺体的化学分泌物对自卫特别重要。然而，我们对腺体如何进化以从特定身体区域产生特定化学物质的理解是有限的。研究腺体功能和进化对于理解昆虫化学防御、昆虫通讯和昆虫整体进化至关重要。 该研究员将使用暗甲虫和它们的胸部防御腺作为模型系统，用于测试有关昆虫腺体进化机制的假设。这项研究的成果还将有助于为公众宣传和来自不同背景的K-12学生开发教育材料。本研究的主要目的是解决是否prothoracic防御腺（PDGs）的暗甲虫（鞘翅目：拟步甲科），已经通过平行或趋同进化。具体而言，本研究旨在研究1）参与拟步甲科PDG发育的基因和基因调控网络，2）拟步甲科PDG的解剖学同源特征，以及3）与PDG进化相关的生活史特征。比较转录组学将被用来比较基因表达谱的发展PDG和腺体无体组织在五个代表性的类群，以确定候选基因和基因调控网络参与腺体发育。将进行检查腺体起源点、肌肉组织、位置、大体结构和超微结构的形态学研究，以检查它们是否来自同源或非同源组织。检查PDG进化和生活史特征之间的相关性将进行使用腺体发生和生活史数据挖掘文献和放置在最新的系统发育假说拟步甲科的背景下。研究员假设拟步甲科的PDG是通过平行进化进化的（即，通过同源基因调控网络和前胸组织的共同选择发展），但与已知的生活史特征无关。除了与专业教育工作者的合作外，该项目还将为研究员以及对昆虫形态学、生物信息学和昆虫遗传学感兴趣的研究生和本科生提供极好的研究、培训和科学交流机会。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2021, Integrative Research Investigating the Rules of Life Governing Interactions Between Genomes, Environment and Phenotypes. The fellowship supports research and training of the Fellow that will contribute to the area of Rules of Life in innovative ways. Insects use chemical secretions for many reasons, including to find food, mates, and defend against predators. Chemical secretions from glands are especially important for self-defense. However, our understanding of how glands evolve to produce specific chemicals from specific body regions is limited. Studying gland function and evolution is essential to understanding the evolution of insect chemical defenses, insect communication, and insects as a whole. The Fellow will use darkling beetles and their thoracic defensive glands as a model system for testing hypotheses about mechanisms of insect gland evolution. The outcomes of this research will also aid the development of educational materials for public outreach and K-12 students from diverse backgrounds. This research primarily aims to address whether prothoracic defensive glands (PDGs) of darkling beetles (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), have evolved via parallel or convergent evolution. Specifically, this research aims to examine 1) the genes and gene regulatory networks involved in PDG development across Tenebrionidae, 2) the anatomically homologous features of Tenebrionidae PDGs, and 3) life history traits correlated with PDG evolution. Comparative transcriptomics will be used to compare the gene expression profiles of developing PDGs and glandless body tissue in five representative taxa to identify candidate genes and gene regulatory networks involved in gland development. Morphological investigations examining gland origin points, musculature, locality, gross structure, and ultrastructure will be carried out to examine whether they are derived from homologous or non-homologous tissues. Examining correlations between PDG evolution and life history traits will be carried out using gland occurrence and life history data mined from literature and placed in the context of the latest phylogenetic hypotheses for Tenebrionidae. The Fellow hypothesizes that the PDGs of Tenebrionidae have evolved through parallel evolution (i.e., develop through the co-option of homologous gene regulatory networks and prothoracic tissues), but are not correlated with known life history traits. In addition to collaboration with professional educators, this project will also provide excellent research, training, and scientific communication opportunities for the Fellow as well as for graduate and undergraduate students interested in insect morphology, bioinformatics, and phylogenetics.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.