Assembing the Tree of Life: An Integrative Approach to Investigating Cnidarian Phylogeny

啮齿动物门是最早进化的动物群体之一，包括珊瑚、海葵和水母等海洋动物中的重要成员。由于蛇形目动物在器官进化之前就与其他动物有所不同，它们的整体解剖结构相当简单。然而，尽管如此，蛇类动物已经获得了令人难以置信的多样性，包括超过11,000个物种，其中许多物种显示出复杂的结构和复杂的生活史。由于缺乏器官和其他解剖地标，科学家很难辨别它们之间的进化关系。DNA测序和分析方面的最新技术和理论进步为利用生物体遗传密码中编码的信息阐明进化关系提供了机会。这项建议的主要目的是获取1,800种北极熊的DNA序列数据：这将产生约2,300万个碱基对的北极熊DNA序列，从中获得序列的标本将保留在自然历史博物馆的藏品中。DNA中编码的信息将被用来通过计算机算法和超级计算设施重建西尼迪亚人的系统发育(进化树)。这项提案将解决的一些问题是：所有西尼德人的祖先是孤独的还是殖民地的？水母还是水蛇与珊瑚的亲缘关系更近？珊瑚骨骼是如何以及何时进化的？简单的九头蛇息肉和复杂的葡萄牙人殖民地之间的进化过渡是什么？重建北极熊进化树对于我们理解伴随着动物生命早期多样化的模式和过程很重要。本研究将得出正规教育和非正规教育的结果。本科生、研究生和博士后学者，包括那些属于科学界代表性不足的群体的学者，将接受培训。研究人员将在一次全国科学会议上组织一次关于北极熊进化关系的研讨会。将开发一个Cnidaria生命树数据库，以包括宣传和学习部分，如图像、常用名称和钥匙，旨在吸引各级学生以及潜水员和水族等感兴趣的用户。将根据研究成果制作博物馆展品，其中一个在堪萨斯大学自然历史博物馆展出，另一个题为“海洋中的海洋多样性”，将成为定于2008年在国家自然历史博物馆开放的新海洋展厅的一部分。与后一个展览相结合的网站和教室海报(英语和西班牙语)将与一名K-12教育工作者合作创建，该计划由NSF的教师研究经验方案支持。

The phylum Cnidaria is one of the earliest evolving animal groups and includes prominent members of the marine fauna such as corals, sea anemones and jellyfish. Because cnidarians diverged from the rest of the animals prior to the evolution of organs, their overall anatomy is quite simple. Despite this however, cnidarians have attained incredible diversity, comprising over 11,000 species, many of which display elaborate structures and complex life histories. The lack of organs and other anatomical landmarks has made it difficult for scientists to discern their evolutionary relationships. Recent technological and theoretical advances in the sequencing and analysis of DNA provide the opportunity to use the information encoded within an organism's genetic code to elucidate evolutionary relationships. The primary aim of this proposal is to obtain DNA sequence data from 1,800 cnidarian species: this will generate approximately 23 million base pairs of cnidarian DNA sequence, and the specimens from which the sequences are obtained will be retained in natural history museum collections. The information encoded in the DNA will be used to reconstruct cnidarian phylogenies (evolutionary trees), using computer algorithms and supercomputing facilities. Some of the questions this proposal will address are: Was the ancestor to all of cnidarians solitary or colonial? Are jellyfish or hydras more closely related to the corals? How and when did coral skeletons evolve? What are the evolutionary transitions between a simple hydra polyp and a complex Portuguese Man-of-War colony? Reconstructing a cnidarian evolutionary tree is important for our understanding of the patterns and processes that accompanied the early diversification of animal life. Formal and informal education will result from this research. Undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral scholars, including those belonging to groups under-represented in the sciences, will be trained. A symposium on cnidarian evolutionary relationships will be organized by the investigators at a national scientific meeting. A Cnidaria Tree of Life database will be developed to include outreach and learning components such as images, common names, and keys designed to appeal to students at all levels as well as interested users such as divers and aquarists. Museum exhibits will be created based on research results, one at the University of Kansas Natural History Museum, and one, entitled "Cnidarian Diversity in the Oceans" that will be part of the new Oceans Hall, due to open at the National Museum of Natural History in 2008. A website and classroom poster (in both English and Spanish) integrated with the latter exhibit will be created in collaboration with a K-12 educator supported through NSF's Research Experience for Teachers program.