Collaborative Research: Phylogeny, Behavior, and Silk Evolution of Web Spinners (Embloptera), a Little-Known Insect Order

织网虫是一种奇特的昆虫，主要生活在热带森林中。 它们的生物学是所有昆虫中研究最少的，尽管人们知道蜘蛛会表现出一系列奇怪的生物学现象。 它们是唯一一种用前腿的腺体吐丝的昆虫，无论是未成熟期还是成年期，它们都是这样做的。它们表现出母性关怀，经常群居生活，用吐丝来建造大型的、有时是复杂的廊道，供它们生活和养育后代。 与吐丝相关的画廊和行为的类型在整个群体中有很大的差异，并且对丝蛋白的组成和吐丝的遗传基础一无所知。尽管已知的吐丝者只有大约400种，据估计，可能有超过1500个新物种已经被收集，但尚未正式描述，还有更多的物种在自然界等待发现。a poor贫穷state州never having有been updated更新usinga modern现代，phylogenetic系统发育basis基础. 三所大学的实验室之间的合作研究和培训项目将汇集一批具有专门知识的研究人员，以调查Embioptera的发育，行为生态学和分类。 在杨百翰大学，系统发育分析将使用分子和形态学数据进行，并将形成一个改进的自然分类的基础。 在圣克拉拉大学，昆虫的生物学方面，如殖民地建设，产妇护理和栖息地的要求将在系统发育的背景下，通过追踪这些功能，通过系统发育检查。 最后，在加州大学，滨江，将通过发现编码几个物种的丝的DNA序列来检验丝产生的遗传基础，并将在织网者遗传学的背景下研究这些丝基因的变异。 研究结果将在科学期刊上传播，并通过现代数字技术的应用，包括数字图像画廊，数字文献复制品，数字矩阵识别密钥等。这个合作项目代表了第一个全面的调查和生物学的webspinners以往任何时候都做。 由于embiids通常发生在脆弱的生态系统中，因此更好地了解该群体可能对保护这些栖息地具有重要意义。此外，这项工作将促进不同领域的生物学家之间的多学科合作，并促进博士后研究员和学生在多学科研究中的培训。这项研究将广泛地涉及大学生，给他们一个坚实的科学背景，包括适当的研究方法和道德。当项目目标得到满足时，历史上鲜为人知的昆虫群体将通过发表的结果更容易为每个人所了解，并且由于研究人员在多个学术水平上的广泛跨学科培训，将对科学界产生积极的长期影响。

Webspinners (order Embioptera) are a curious group of insects foundmainly in tropical forests. Their biology is among the most poorly studiedof any insect group even though webspinners are known to exhibit a range ofunique biological phenomena. They are the only insects that spin silk fromglands in their front legs, and they do so as both immatures and adults.They exhibit maternal care and often live in groups where they use silk toconstruct large and sometimes intricate galleries in which they live andrear their young. The types of galleries and behaviors associated with silkspinning vary considerably throughout the group, and nothing is known aboutthe composition of silk proteins and the genetic basis for silk production.Although there are only about 400 species of webspinners known, estimatessuggest there may be more than 1500 new species already in collections butnot formally described and many more in Nature awaiting discovery.Webspinner classification is in a poor state never having been updated usinga modern, phylogenetic basis. A collaborative research and training projectbetween laboratories at three universities will assemble a group ofresearchers with the expertise to investigate the phylogeny, behavioralecology and classification of the Embioptera. At Brigham Young University,phylogenetic analyses will be conducted using molecular and morphologicaldata and will form the basis of an improved natural classification of thegroup. At Santa Clara University, biological aspects of the insects such ascolony construction, maternal care and habitat requirements will be examinedwithin a phylogenetic context by tracing these features through thephylogeny. Finally, at the University of California, Riverside, the geneticbasis for silk production will be examined by discovering the DNA sequencesthat code for silk in several species, and the variation in these silk geneswill be investigated within the context of webspinner phylogeny. Resultswill be disseminated in scientific journals and through applications ofmodern, digital technology including digital image galleries, digitalreproductions of literature, digital matrix-based identification keys, etc.Museum holdings of webspinners will be enhanced by curation and new materialfrom fieldwork. This collaborative project represents the first comprehensiveinvestigation of the phylogeny and biology of webspinners ever done. Sinceembiids occur in often fragile ecosystems, better knowledge of the groupwill likely have important relevance to conservation of these habitats.Also, this work will foster multidisciplinary collaboration betweenbiologists in disparate fields and facilitate the training of postdoctoralfellows and students in multidisciplinary research. The research willinvolve undergraduates extensively to give them a firm background inscience, including proper research methods and ethics. When the projectobjectives are met, a historically little-known insect group will be moreaccessible to everyone through the published results, and a positivelong-term impact on the scientific community will occur because of the broadcross-disciplinary training of researchers at several academic levels.