Collaborative Research: Assembling the Tree of Life - An Integrative Approach to Investigating Cnidarian Phylogeny

合作研究：组装生命之树——研究刺胞动物系统发育的综合方法

• 批准号: 0531570
• 负责人: Catherine McFadden
• 金额: $ 21.91万
• 依托单位: Harvey Mudd College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-10-01 至 2011-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0531570&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Assembling; Tree; Life

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.

门那迪亚氏菌是最早发展的动物群体之一，包括海洋动物区系的著名成员，例如珊瑚，海葵和水母。由于在器官进化之前，cnidarians与其他动物有所不同，因此它们的整体解剖结构非常简单。但是，尽管如此，Cnidarians的多样性令人难以置信，其中包括11,000多种，其中许多物种都显示出精心制作的结构和复杂的生活历史。缺乏器官和其他解剖学地标使科学家难以辨别其进化关系。 DNA测序和分析中的技术和理论进步提供了机会，可以使用在生物体的遗传密码中编码的信息来阐明进化关系。该提案的主要目的是从1,800种Cnidarian物种中获取DNA序列数据：这将产生约2300万个基本的Cnidarian DNA序列，并且将保留在自然历史博物馆集合中获得序列的标本。 DNA中编码的信息将用于使用计算机算法和超级计算设施重建Cnidarian系统发育（进化树）。该提议将解决的一些问题是：所有cnidarians孤独或殖民地的祖先是祖先吗？水母或九头蛇与珊瑚更紧密相关吗？珊瑚骨骼如何以及何时进化？简单的Hydra息肉和复杂的葡萄牙战争人群殖民地之间的进化过渡是什么？重建cnidarian进化树对于我们对伴随动物生命早期多样化的模式和过程的理解很重要。 这项研究将导致正规和非正式教育。本科生，研究生和博士后学者将接受培训。调查人员将在一次国家科学会议上组织有关cnidarian进化关系的研讨会。将开发一个生命数据库的Cnidaria树，以包括外展和学习组件，例如图像，通用名称和钥匙，旨在吸引各个级别的学生以及兴趣的用户，例如潜水员和水产主义者。博物馆展览将基于研究结果，在堪萨斯大学自然历史博物馆的研究结果以及题为“海洋中的Cnidarian多样性”的一个，该博物馆将成为新海洋大厅的一部分，该博物馆将在2008年在国家自然历史上开放。在2008年国家自然博物馆开放。与后者的教师合作，将与后来的教师组成的网站和课堂海报（英语和西班牙语）将与K-12成立。