DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The relative roles of selection and constraint in convergent ear loss across the true toads (Bufonidae)

论文研究：选择和约束在真蟾蜍（蟾蜍科）收敛性耳损失中的相对作用

• 批准号: 1600897
• 负责人: Kim Hoke
• 金额: $ 1.96万
• 依托单位: Colorado State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-06-01 至 2017-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1600897&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; relative; roles; selection

Middle and outer ear structures are used for hearing sound and are shared by most land animals. Although frogs and toads use hearing to find a mate, many frogs and toads have lost their middle and outer ear structures. This project aims to discover the genetic changes that have resulted in the evolution of ear loss in toads. Since the middle and outer ears of other land animals (including humans) use similar developmental pathways, understanding the genetic changes that result in ear loss in toads will illuminate potential causes of middle and outer ear loss and malformation in other animals. The genetic data produced by this study will help us better understand the relationships between toad species and provide novel genetic data for future research. In addition to graduate training, interactive museum displays will be created from the specimens and data generated from the project, and a series of K-12 classroom exercises will be developed to explain the ear structure evolution in toads.This project investigates the selection pressures and genetic constraints that generate convergent loss and potential regain of middle and outer ear structures across the family of true toads (Bufonidae). Sequence data for 60 bufonid species (16 earless, 44 eared) spanning seven ear loss events will be analyzed to identify signatures of selection and parallel genetic changes across 50 genes involved in middle and outer ear development. The dataset will assess the effects of various selection pressures and look for evidence of constraint at the genetic level, complementing the large amount of evidence for selection and constraint at the phenotypic level that has previously been collected by the research team. Results of this project will delineate the roles of selection and constraint in driving ear loss across Bufonidae, and elucidate common genetic pathways by which selection can act in a constrained, potentially costly, trait loss.

中耳和外耳结构用于听力声音，并由大多数陆地动物共享。尽管青蛙和蟾蜍使用听力来寻找伴侣，但许多青蛙和蟾蜍已经失去了中耳和外耳结构。该项目的目的是发现导致蟾蜍耳朵损失进化的遗传变化。由于其他陆地动物（包括人类）的中耳和外耳使用类似的发育途径，因此了解导致蟾蜍耳朵损失的遗传变化将阐明其他动物中中耳和外耳损失以及畸形的潜在原因。这项研究产生的遗传数据将有助于我们更好地了解蟾蜍物种之间的关系，并为未来的研究提供新的遗传数据。除研究生培训外，还将根据项目产生的标本和数据创建互动博物馆展示，并将开发一系列的K-12课堂练习来解释TOAD中的耳朵结构的演变。该项目调查了选择压力和遗传约束，从而产生收敛的融合损失和潜在的中外耳朵结构，并在整个Thre the turave的家族中（Buf threaide）（Buffffffffffffrfordae）（））（））。将分析60种Bufonid物种（16个耳朵，44个耳朵）的序列数据，分析了七个耳朵损失事件，以确定在中耳和外耳发育中涉及的50个基因的选择和平行遗传变化的特征。该数据集将评估各种选择压力的效果，并在遗传水平上寻找约束的证据，并补充研究团队以前收集的表型水平的大量选择和约束的证据。该项目的结果将描述选择和限制在驱动整个Bufonidae的耳朵损失方面的作用，并阐明选择可以以约束，可能成本高昂的性状损失作用的常见遗传途径。