A Multi-Gene Phylogeny of Maxillopod Crustaceans to Facilitate Comparative Study of Eye Evolution

美国加州大学圣巴巴拉分校的Todd H. Oakley博士获得了一笔基金，用于研究上颌甲壳类动物（包括藤壶、介形虫和桡足类动物）的眼睛进化和进化关系。这项研究有两个主要目标：第一，收集大量的DNA序列数据来估计颌足动物的进化关系；第二，利用这些结果来检验关于眼睛进化的重要假设。为了实现他们的第一个目标，研究人员提出了一个三重策略。首先，他们在主要的颌足动物群体中组建了一个具有互补专业知识的合作者团队。其次，他们将对大约100种颌足类动物进行取样。第三，他们将获得来自四个不同基因区域的DNA序列，这不仅可以解决颌足动物的进化关系，而且可以与其他节肢动物（包括其他甲壳类动物、昆虫、蜘蛛和蜈蚣/千足动物）的进化关系研究相结合。为了促进未来的研究，所有数据和结果将通过一个专门研究颌足动物系统发育的网站广泛提供。第二个主要目标是利用由此得出的进化关系来研究眼睛的进化；最值得注意的是，为了测试复眼在颌足动物中进化了多次的可能性。了解这些甲壳类动物之间的进化关系将是非常有价值的。上颌足类具有丰富的化石记录、丰富的多样性和世界性分布，因此在进化、生物多样性、生态学和全球变化方面具有巨大的潜力。这些生物在有水的地方都很丰富，可以作为生态干扰的指标。对眼睛进化的研究也很重要。进化生物学中一个长期存在的问题是，眼睛等复杂特征的进化频率和速度有多快。本研究将在一组特别适合实验室研究的生物体中解决这些问题。

Abstract for DEB-0316330A grant has been awarded to Dr. Todd H. Oakley of the University of California-Santa Barbara to study eye evolution and evolutionary relationships of maxillopod crustaceans (including barnacles, ostracods, and copepods). The research has two major goals: first, to collect extensive DNA sequence data to estimate maxillopod evolutionary relationships and second to use those results to test important hypotheses about eye evolution. To achieve their first goal, the researchers propose a three-fold strategy. First, they have assembled a team of collaborators with complementary expertise in the major maxillopod groups. Second, they will sample a diverse array of about 100 maxillopod species. Third, they will obtain DNA sequence from four different gene regions that will allow not only resolution of maxillopod evolutionary relationships, but also integration with other studies on evolutionary relationships of arthropods (including other crustaceans, insects, spiders, and centipedes/millipedes). To facilitate future study, all data and results will be made broadly available via a website dedicated to maxillopod phylogeny. The second major goal is to use the resulting evolutionary relationships to examine the evolution of eyes; most notably, to test the fascinating possibility that compound eyes evolved multiple times within maxillopods. Understanding the evolutionary relationships among these crustaceans will be extremely valuable. The Maxillopoda have enormous potential to inform us about evolution, biodiversity, ecology and global change because they are benefactors of detailed fossil record, riotous diversity, and cosmopolitan distribution. These organisms are abundant wherever there is water and can serve for example as indicators of ecological disturbance. The studies of eye evolution will also be important. A long-standing question in evolutionary biology is how often and how rapidly complex traits such as eyes evolve. This study will address these questions in a group of organisms particularly amenable to laboratory study.