NSFDEB-NERC: The Origin of Sperm Parasitism through the Looking Glass of the Amazon Molly

NSFDEB-NERC：通过亚马逊莫莉的镜子了解精子寄生的起源

• 批准号: NE/T009322/1
• 负责人: Francisco Ubeda
• 金额: $ 38.31万
• 依托单位: Royal Holloway University of London
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2020 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE%2FT009322%2F1
• 关键词: NSFDEB; NERC; Origin; Sperm; Parasitism; NSFDEB; NERC; Origin; Sperm; Parasitism

The vast majority of species have two sexes and both are needed to reproduce. But one mode of reproduction is especially interesting because it combines a seemingly impossible combination of traits. In this mode, gynogenesis, eggs have to be fertilized by males of a different species, but the genes provided by males are not incorporated into the offspring, which means that the resulting offspring are identical to their mothers. More importantly, it is often assumed that several important evolutionary changes, such as the loss of males and formation of diploid eggs, happened at the same time. Theoretically, he accumulation of large transitions in a single evolutionary step is highly unlikely, but this is nonetheless the prevailing explanation. In the proposed project, the researchers will attempt to form a synthetic gynogenetic species by carefully establishing the evolutionary and molecular pathway that led to the origin of a fish species, the Amazon molly. The research will test the assumption that major evolutionary transitions can happen simultaneously. The team located in Great Britain will be using mathematical models to guide actual experiments crossing existing species and their hybrids by a team located in the USA. This will allow a much deeper understanding of the process that leads to gynogenesis in particular and sexual reproduction in general. Furthermore, this research will provide a platform for outreach to the public via workshops and training opportunities for multiple young scientists in the STEM field.The research aims at artificially forming a species through hybridization of two existing species determining the most likely evolutionary pathway from one to the other. The existing species at the origin of the new species are fishes from Texas and Mexico, and the new species results of a hybridization event in nature. To retrace the evolution of this species the research team will use several mathematical techniques, including differential equations and Monte-Carlo Simulations to model the most likely pathway for the evolution of a unique set of traits, including unisexuality, formation of unreduced eggs, and clonality. Current thinking claims that all of these massive changes happened in one giant evolutionary step, but this seems unlikely from a theory point of view. Guided by the mathematical models, a large-scale crossing experiment will be conducted to actually form a gynogenetic species in the laboratory. This will involve crossing sexual fishes, and also crossing the resulting F1 individuals amongst each other, and backcrossing them. Every unique cross will further be characterized genomically, genetically, and morphologically.

绝大多数物种有两个性别，都需要繁殖。但是一种繁殖方式特别有趣，因为它结合了看似不可能的特征组合。在这种模式下，一个性鸡蛋必须由不同物种的雄性施肥，但男性提供的基因并未纳入后代，这意味着所产生的后代与母亲相同。更重要的是，经常假定同时发生了几种重要的进化变化，例如雄性丧失和二倍体卵的形成。从理论上讲，他在单个进化步骤中积累了大型过渡是极不可能的，但这仍然是主要的解释。在拟议的项目中，研究人员将尝试通过仔细确定导致鱼类种类的进化和分子途径，亚马逊莫莉的起源来形成合成的妇科物种。该研究将测试主要进化转变可以同时进行的假设。位于英国的团队将使用数学模型来指导实际的实验，该实验越过现有物种及其混合动力车，位于美国。这将使人们更深入地了解导致妇产发生的过程，尤其是一般的有性繁殖。此外，这项研究将通过研讨会和STEM领域的多位年轻科学家的讲习班和培训机会为公众提供一个平台。该研究的目的是通过杂交两个现有物种来确定从一个到另一个最有可能进化的途径来人为地形成一个物种。新物种起源的现有物种是得克萨斯州和墨西哥的鱼类，以及自然界中杂交事件的新物种结果。为了追溯该物种的演变，研究团队将使用几种数学技术，包括微分方程和蒙特卡洛模拟，以建模最有可能演变的途径，以进化一组独特的性状，包括中性性，形成未偿还的鸡蛋和克隆性。当前的思维声称所有这些大变化发生在一个巨大的进化步骤中，但从理论的角度来看，这似乎不太可能。在数学模型的指导下，将进行大规模的穿越实验，实际上在实验室中形成了妇科物种。这将涉及穿越性鱼，还互相跨越由此的F1个人，并将它们反向交叉。每个独特的十字架将在基因组，遗传和形态上进一步表征。