Collaborative Research: Epidermal gland evolution and the origins of structural and chemical signaling diversity

合作研究：表皮腺进化以及结构和化学信号多样性的起源

• 批准号: 1855875
• 负责人: Luke Frishkoff
• 金额: $ 36.94万
• 依托单位: University of Texas at Arlington
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2019-12-01 至 2024-11-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1855875&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Epidermal; gland; evolution

Animal communication systems have evolved an extraordinarily varied set of morphological and physiological structures and signals in order to control essential behavioral interactions, such as individual recognition, establishment of social hierarchies, territoriality, and intersexual selection. Visual, acoustic, and chemical signaling modes allow for complex repertoires of behavioral displays, yet little is known of how communication systems originated and evolved in most species in the animal tree of life, including reptiles. This project aims to fill this important gap by investigating the origin and evolution of novel communication mechanisms (epidermal glands) in lizards and how such systems are shaped by ecological and environmental parameters. Results from this research will provide a framework for predicting how human-induced environmental changes could impact chemical signaling. This project converges with NSF priorities for both science and society by expanding natural history collections and genetic resources in the U.S., building large data sets for comparative studies, developing new teaching materials focused on chemical communication, and directly contributing to scientific education and public outreach with the development of a new public exhibit at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture.Among lizards and snakes, chemical signaling has been increasingly acknowledged as a critical, yet underappreciated, component of communication. This project will use integrative methods and tools, including advanced imaging, biochemistry, phylogenetics, and gene expression across diverse lizard groups from North America, South America, and Africa to investigate the evolution of novel epidermal glands that are crucial in mediating behavioral interactions in several groups of lizards. This project will test several hypotheses with the diverse data types collected over the course of the research, including (1) chemical differences between species correlate with environmental parameters and structural complexity of the habitats and microhabitats; (2) major transitions in the presence or absence of epidermal glands and chemical signals across the lizard tree of life track shifts in habitat/microhabitat (such as changes in temperature, humidity, and solar radiation preferences); (3) independent origins of epidermal glands across the lizard tree of life share a common genetic origin, providing strong evidence that such structures share deep and common ancestry. By using lizard epidermal glands as our study system, this project will provide insight into the evolution of novelty and those structures that play important roles in communication and behavior.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.

动物通信系统已经发展出了一系列多样的形态和生理结构和信号，以控制基本的行为相互作用，例如个人识别，建立社会等级制度，领土和两性互相选择。视觉，声学和化学信号传导模式允许行为显示的复杂曲目，但知之甚少，关于传播系统如何起源和演变在生命的动物树中，包括爬行动物。该项目旨在通过研究蜥蜴中新型通信机制（表皮腺）的起源和演变来填补这一重要空白，以及如何通过生态和环境参数来塑造此类系统。这项研究的结果将为预测人类引起的环境变化如何影响化学信号传导提供一个框架。该项目通过扩大美国的自然历史收集和遗传资源，建立大量数据集，开发出针对化学交流的新教材，并在伯克（Burke）的自然历史和文化博物馆的新公开展览中发展新的教育和公共宣传，既然是在自然历史和文化上，越来越多的化学物质，既然是在美国的，among lizard和snake逐渐成为越来越多的批评，这一项目与NSF的优先级融为一体。 沟通。该项目将使用综合方法和工具，包括来自北美，南美和非洲各种蜥蜴群的高级成像，生物化学，系统发育和基因表达，以研究新型表皮腺体在几个蜥蜴中介导行为相互作用至关重要的新型表皮腺体的演变。该项目将测试几个假设，其中包括在研究过程中收集的多种数据类型，包括（1）物种与环境参数相关的化学差异以及栖息地和微栖息地的结构复杂性； （2）在存在或不存在表皮腺和化学信号的情况下，生命的蜥蜴树在栖息地/微栖息地（例如温度，湿度和太阳辐射偏好的变化）中进行了化学信号； （3）生命蜥蜴树的表皮腺的独立起源具有共同的遗传来源，提供了有力的证据，表明这种结构具有深厚的共同血统。通过将蜥蜴表皮腺作为我们的研究系统，该项目将洞悉新颖性的演变以及那些在沟通和行为中起重要作用的结构。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是值得通过基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的审查标准通过评估来获得支持的。