Eco-Evo-Devo and the origin of novelty in complex biological systems

Eco-Evo-Devo 和复杂生物系统中新颖性的起源

• 批准号: RGPIN-2015-06598
• 负责人: Abouheif, Ehab
• 金额: $ 3.79万
• 依托单位: McGill University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2016-01-01 至 2017-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=614244
• 关键词: Eco; Evo; Devo; origin; novelty

THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF MY RESEARCH PROGRAM IS TO UNDERSTAND HOW NOVEL FEATURES ORIGINATE AND DIVERSIFY IN COMPLEX BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS. This a central problem in evolutionary biology that has remained largely unresolved for over 100 years. My research program is on the leading edge of the emerging field of Eco-Evo-Devo, which integrates the traditionally separate fields of ecology, evolution, and developmental biology. A main focus of this field is to understand how genes and environment interact during development to generate novel features and how these features subsequently diversify in their ecological environments. We focus on a key morphological trait in ants – the worker caste – whose origin and diversification has enhanced their division of labor, and consequently, their ecological and evolutionary success. I will capitalize on several recent discoveries that have started to uncover how novel worker castes originated during 3 major morphological transitions in ant evolution. These transitions mark the progressive increase in complexity of ant societies beginning with (1) the origin of eusociality (true social behavior); followed by (2) the ‘point of no return’ (when eusociality becomes irreversible because the reproductive capacity of workers is significantly reduced); and culminating in (3) the diversification of a single worker caste into a complex system of morphological and behavioral subcastes. Over the next five years, we will initiate 3 projects that aim to understand the developmental mechanisms underlying 3 major transitions in ant evolution. These 3 projects will use the integrative approaches of Eco-Evo-Devo (molecular and developmental biology, endocrinology, genomics, fieldwork, population and comparative biology and behavior): PROJECT 1: Origin of Eusocially: this major transition is associated with the origin of wing polyphenism, where a single genome evolves the ability to produce winged queens or wingless workers in a single colony in response to environmental cues. We will build on 10 years of research in my lab to test whether this transition occurred through key nodes in the networks controlling wing development. PROJECT 2: The ‘Point of No Return:’ we recently discovered molecular defects in worker ovaries that enhance social harmony by reducing the reproductive capacity of workers. We will test whether these defects are regulated by increased activity of “transposable elements” in workers via the inactivation of a developmental pathway in response to social cues. PROJECT 3: Origin of Novel Worker Subcastes: we recently discovered that wing vestiges, which appear during larval development in the wingless worker caste, are not useless organs but have acquired a new developmental function ¬– they are signaling centers that regulate head and body size of workers. We will test whether novel subcastes have originated and diversified through this new function.

我研究的长期目标是了解复杂生物系统中的新特征是如何产生和多样化的。这是进化生物学中的一个核心问题，100多年来一直没有得到解决。我的研究计划是在生态-进化-发育的新兴领域的前沿，它整合了生态学，进化和发育生物学的传统独立领域。该领域的一个主要重点是了解基因和环境如何在发育过程中相互作用，以产生新的功能，以及这些功能如何随后在其生态环境中多样化。我们专注于蚂蚁的一个关键形态特征-工人种姓-其起源和多样化增强了他们的劳动分工，因此，他们的生态和进化的成功。我将利用最近的几个发现，这些发现已经开始揭示新的工蚁种姓是如何在蚂蚁进化的3个主要形态转变中起源的。这些转变标志着蚂蚁社会复杂性的逐步增加，首先是（1）真社会性（真正的社会行为）的起源;其次是（2）“不归点”（当真社会性变得不可逆转时，因为工人的生殖能力显着降低）;最后是（3）单一工人种姓的多样化成为一个复杂的形态和行为亚种姓系统。在接下来的五年里，我们将启动3个项目，旨在了解蚂蚁进化中3个主要转变的发展机制。这三个项目将使用生态-进化-发展的综合方法（分子和发育生物学，内分泌学，基因组学，实地考察，人口和比较生物学和行为学）： 项目1：Eusocially的起源：这一重大转变与翅型多型现象的起源有关，在翅型多型现象中，单个基因组进化出在单个群体中产生有翅蚁后或无翅工蚁的能力，以响应环境线索。我们将在我实验室10年的研究基础上，测试这种转变是否通过控制机翼发展的网络中的关键节点发生。 项目二：“不归路”：我们最近发现了工人卵巢的分子缺陷，这种缺陷通过降低工人的生殖能力来促进社会和谐。我们将测试这些缺陷是否是由工人的“转座因子”的活性增加，通过失活的发展途径，以响应社会线索的调节。 项目3：新工蜂亚种姓的起源：我们最近发现，在无翅工蜂种姓的幼虫发育过程中出现的翅膀痕迹不是无用的器官，而是获得了一种新的发育功能-它们是调节工蜂头部和身体大小的信号中心。我们将测试是否有新的subcastes起源和多样化，通过这个新的功能。