Using novel modelling approaches to investigate the evolution of symmetry in early animals.

使用新颖的建模方法来研究早期动物的对称性进化。

• 批准号: 2842926
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University College London
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2842926
• 关键词: Using; novel; modelling; approaches; investigate

Symmetry is a fundamental property of the major animal body plans that originated over half a billion years ago. Determining why different types of symmetry evolved is difficult because most modern groups are characterized by only a single kind. However, the fossil record reveals that the echinoderms - a major group of modern marine animals - comprised extinct forms with different types of symmetry. Investigating the evolution of symmetry in this group could help uncover the evolutionary significance of symmetry in animals more broadly. To achieve this, virtual modelling and computational fluid dynamics will be used to analyse performance of key fossil taxa, informing on the function and ecology of forms with different types of symmetry. Another major group of animals, sponges, have skeletons made up of spicules which contain many different symmetry types. It is not known why these various shapes evolved. Morphospaces of modern and fossil sponge species will be constructed and their performance evaluated. Palaeoenvironmental parameters will be assembled and interrogated to determine whether trends in symmetry state evolution of sponge spicules were driven by phylogeny, ecology or the environment. The results will transform our understanding of the evolutionary history of symmetry.

对称性是主要动物体计划的基本财产，该计划起源于十亿年前。确定为什么不同类型的对称性进化很困难，因为大多数现代群体仅以一种形式的特征。但是，化石记录表明，棘皮动物（一群现代海洋动物）组成了具有不同类型的对称性的灭绝形式。研究该组中对称性的演变可能有助于更广泛地揭示动物中对称性的进化意义。为了实现这一目标，虚拟建模和计算流体动力学将用于分析关键化石分类单元的性能，从而告知具有不同类型的对称性形式的功能和生态。另一组主要的动物，海绵，有由spicules组成的骨骼，其中包含许多不同的对称类型。尚不清楚为什么这些各种形状进化。将建造现代和化石海绵物种的形态空间，并评估其性能。古环境参数将组装和审问，以确定海绵斑叶的对称状态进化的趋势是由系统发育，生态学还是环境驱动的。结果将改变我们对对称的进化历史的理解。