RUI: Collaborative Research: Phylogenomics of Cypridinidae (Ostracoda): Evolutionary origins of bioluminescence and complex behavioral displays

复杂的特征和行为如何在进化过程中起源和多样化是生物学中的一个主要问题。生物发光，即生物体产生的光，发生在许多不同的动物类群中。海洋介形虫是一种像虾一样的小型甲壳类动物，它们利用光来躲避捕食者和进行行为展示。在整个加勒比地区观察到超过64种生物发光闪烁模式，但只有三分之一的物种被收集和科学描述。这项拟议中的研究将汇集来自威斯康星州和加州机构的一组合作者，调查加勒比海生物发光介形虫的多样性，并解决生物发光和复杂行为显示如何在群体内进化。研究将涉及学生和教师在职业生涯的多个阶段，数字和形态材料的档案管理员，以及科学教育媒体的成员。这项研究的时机尤为重要，因为研究人员组成的团队包括两名生物发光介形虫的名誉专家，他们将参加实地收集和分类学研讨会。这项研究的产品将包括一组新培训的本科生和研究生，一个新描述的物种的大型综合数据集，将通过博物馆和在线策展进行共享，转录组DNA和行为特征的生物信息学分析的进步，以及更好地理解遗传学和复杂性状进化之间的联系。这项由威斯康星州-拉克罗斯大学、加州州立大学-洛杉矶分校和加州大学-圣巴巴拉分校的研究人员合作开展的项目将使用一套多样的互补技术来调查Cypridinidae内的系统发育关系以及生物发光和复杂行为显示的进化。 具体目标是：1）基于来自71个不同物种的转录组数据集重建新的数据丰富的Cypridinidae的进化，2）计算组内的发散时间和多样化率，3）测试生物发光行为显示和多样化率之间的相关性，以及4）研究荧光素酶的分子进化，催化光反应的蛋白质。了解发光化学物质的生物化学起源和性质是重要的，因为Cypridinidinidases被广泛用作分子生物学和医学中的报告基因。

How complex traits and behaviors originate and diversify during evolution is a major question in biology. Bioluminescence, the production of light by living organisms, occurs in many different animal taxa. Marine ostracods, tiny shrimp-like crustaceans, use light for both avoiding predators and for behavioral displays. Over 64 bioluminescent flashing patterns have been observed throughout the Caribbean but only one third of the species have been collected and described scientifically. The proposed research will bring together a group of collaborators from institutions in Wisconsin and California to investigate the diversity of bioluminescent ostracods in the Caribbean and address how bioluminescence and complex behavioral displays have evolved within the group. Research will involve students and faculty at multiple stages in their careers, archivists of digital and morphological materials, and members of the science education media. The timing of this research is especially crucial as the assembled team of researchers includes two emeritus experts on bioluminescent ostracods who will participate in field collections and taxonomy workshops. The products of this research will include a diverse group of newly trained undergraduate and graduate students, a large comprehensive data set of newly described species that will be shared publically through museum and online curation, advancement in the bioinformatic analysis of transcriptome DNA and behavioral traits, and a better understanding of the link between genetics and complex trait evolution. This collaborative project by researchers at the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse, California State University - Los Angeles, and University of California - Santa Barbara will use a diverse set of complimentary techniques to investigate phylogenetic relationships within Cypridinidae and the evolution of bioluminescence and complex behavioral displays. Specific aims are: 1) to reconstruct a new data rich phylogeny of Cypridinidae based on transcriptome datasets from 71 different species, 2) calculate divergence times and diversification rates within the group, 3) test for correlation between bioluminescent behavioral displays and diversification rates, and 4) investigate the molecular evolution of luciferase, the protein that catalyzes the light reaction. Understanding the biochemical origins and properties of luminescent chemicals is important because cypridinid luciferases are widely used as reporter genes in molecular biology and medicine.