Doctoral Dissertation Research: Unraveling the evolutionary mechanisms associated with miniaturization

该奖项全部或部分由《2021年美国救援计划法案》（公法117-2）资助。在灵长类动物的生命树上，身体尺寸的极度缩小进化了多次，这一过程被认为是趋同进化的证据。本博士论文研究项目比较了不同物种的全基因组，以研究灵长类动物体型缩小的进化过程和生物学机制。该项目利用历史博物馆的藏品，生成新的灵长类物种全基因组，填补基因组数据库的重要空白。本研究中产生的所有数据都将公开，以提供超出本项目范围的额外研究机会。本研究的结果有助于理解灵长类动物的遗传结构，从而在进化框架中更好地理解人类基因组变异。此外，该项目扩大了生物信息学培训的机会，并为历史上代表性不足的群体的学生提供了机会。趋同进化提供了令人信服的证据，表明相似的生态环境可以导致相似的进化解决方案。然而，自然选择在灵长类动物体型减小中的作用在很大程度上仍然是推测性的，特别是当涉及到理解适应是如何在分子水平上发生的时候。目前尚不清楚是否所有的小型灵长类动物都是通过相同的遗传机制的变化进化出如此小的体型，或者不同基因组合和调节序列的变化是否会导致类似的结果。为了解决这些长期存在的问题，研究人员将比较小型化和非小型化物种对的全基因组序列，以获得分子水平上的相似性程度和分子进化的速度。本研究主要探讨：(1)小型物种是否具有相同的遗传基础；(2)灵长类动物中与体型减小相关的蛋白质编码区存在选择作用的证据。研究结果将使人们对身体变异在进化史上是如何产生的有更广泛的了解。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).Extreme reductions in body size evolved multiple times within the primate tree-of-life, a process thought to provide evidence of convergent evolution. This doctoral dissertation research project compares whole-genomes of various species to examine the evolutionary processes and biological mechanisms explaining body size reduction in primates. The project leverages historical museum collections to generate novel whole genomes of primate species that fill important gaps in genomic databases. All data generated in this study will be made publicly available to provide additional research opportunities beyond the scope of this project. Outcomes of this research contribute to the understanding of primate genetic architecture, thus allowing a better contextualization of human genomic variation in an evolutionary framework. Moreover, this project extends bioinformatics training opportunities and accessibility of students from historically underrepresented groups. Convergent evolution provides compelling evidence that similar ecological circumstances can lead to similar evolutionary solutions. However, the role of natural selection in primate size reduction remains largely speculative, especially when it comes to understanding how adaptation occurs at the molecular level. It is not clear if all small-sized primates evolved such diminutive body size via changes in the same genetic mechanisms, or if changes in different combinations of genes and regulatory sequences could lead to similar outcomes. To address these standing questions, the investigators will compare whole-genome sequences of pairs of miniaturized and non-miniaturized species to access the degree of similarity at the molecular level and the pace of molecular evolution. This research specifically examines: (1) whether small-sized species share the same genetic underpinnings; (2) evidence of selection acting in protein-coding regions related to size reduction in primates. Results will inform a more general understanding of how bodily variation arises over evolutionary history.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.