Evolutionary convergence or parallelism? Examining recurrent patterns of phenotypic evolution in marine scallops

自然界中生物体的进化速度有多快？通常观察到的变化模式是什么？本项目利用一种综合的方法来研究一大群非脊椎动物分类群（扇贝）的形态变化模式，解决了这两个基本问题。主要目标是利用DNA序列数据重建近200种扇贝物种之间的关系。尖端的三维扫描技术将被用来测量贝壳形状的差异（这与扇贝生态学有关），物种之间的关系树将被用来追溯该群体形态多样化的历史。重复进化（趋同）的模式将被识别，形态进化的速度将在群体之间进行比较，以确定生物在不同生态环境下的变化速度。该项目为本科生和研究生提供了相当多的教育经验，包括对史密森学会的研究短途旅行，不同研究重点的实验室之间的相互培训，以及包括来自小型学院的学生和来自大型研究型大学的学生的教育研究交流。该项目将雇用6人，其中包括2名研究生和2名本科生。将尽一切努力通过文章和公开演讲来交流研究成果，所有这些都将包括学生参与者。

How fast do organisms evolve in nature and what patterns of change are commonly observed? This project addresses both of these fundamental questions using an integrated approach to examine patterns of morphological change in a large group of non-vertebrate taxa (scallops). A primary goal is to use DNA sequence data to reconstruct the relationships among nearly 200 scallop species. Cutting edge, three-dimensional scanning technology will then be used to measure differences in shell shape (which relate to scallop ecology), and the tree of relationships among species will be utilized to retrace the history of morphological diversification in the group. Patterns of repeated evolution (convergence) will be identified, and the rate of morphological evolution will be compared among groups to determine how fast organisms change in different ecological settings. This project provides considerable educational experiences for undergraduate and graduate students, including research excursions to the Smithsonian Institution, reciprocal training between laboratories with distinct research emphases, and a research-in-education exchange that includes students from a small college and students attending a large research university. The project will employ six persons, including two graduate students, and two undergraduates. Every effort will be made to communicate research findings via articles and public presentations, all of which will include student participants.