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Title [sv]
Ur led är evolutionstiden: Varför avviker molekylära klockor så starkt från fossila data?
Title [en]
Evolution against the clock? Developing critical methods to investigate the molecular clock/fossil record mismatch
Abstract [sv]
När utvecklades de huvudsakliga grupperna av växter och djur? Det verkar lätt att avgöra: Det är bara att se när de dyker upp som fossil. Men det blir ofta helt andra svar när forskare använder moderna tekniker i form av så kallade molekylära klockor. De molekylära klockorna bygger på skillnader i DNA och aminosyror mellan nu levande organismer och beräknar hur snabbt de har förändrats. Faktiskt kan molekylära klockor komma fram till att grupper som djur eller blomväxter uppstod tiotals eller hundratals miljoner år innan de lämnade några fossil efter sig. Vi vill undersöka hur detta kommer sig på tre samordnade sätt. För det första kommer vi att analysera vad som styr molekylära klockor för att avgöra om de verkligen mäter tiden tillförlitligt. För det andra tänker vi skapa statistiska modeller av hur den tidiga fossilhistorien borde se ut och testa modellerna mot riktiga fossildata. För det tredje kommer vi att rekonstruera den ursprungliga principbyggnaden hos leddjuren och deras släktingar, en viktig djurgrupp som är välrepresenterad som fossil. Därefter kan vi jämföra vår rekonstruktion av hur dessa djur har utvecklats med den faktiska fossilhistorien för att se om de stämmer överens; om så är fallet kan vi dra slutsatsen att fossilhistorien återger livets utveckling tämligen väl. Vi hoppas att detta projekt ska leda till en mycket bättre förståelse av tillförlitligheten hos fossila data när livets utveckling studeras. Likaså bör resultaten klargöra varför molekylära klockor och fossila data inte alltid överensstämmer.
Abstract [en]
Major evolutionary radiations such as the origin of the animals are usually dated today using molecular clock techniques, which rely on differences in DNA or amino acids from living organisms. However, the date estimates thus obtained often greatly overestimate those from the fossil record. In this project, we aim to find out why. The work is in three interlinked suprojects: A) Investigation of the controls on published molecular clock results, with a focus on how they are calibrated from the fossil record. This will involve rerunning published analyses with different parameters to create a complete "map" of their variation; B) Building a statistical model of what early fossil records should look like, building on our previous work; and groundtruthing this against the fossil record of arthropods and their relatives in the Cambrian; C) Informing our understanding of the early evolution of arthopods and their relatives (and thus their expected early fossil record) by investigating body plan development in onychophorans and priapulid worms, using state-of the-art single cell sequencing techniques. A PhD student will be required for subproject 1 and parts of subproject 2. We expect this project to have a sigificant effect in both our understanding of the fossil record and its fidelity, and in the broader picture of early animal evolution and development: it brings together a unique constellation of palaeobiological, statistical and developmental expertise.
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Medina-Jiménez, B. I., Budd, G. E., Pechmann, M., Posnien, N. & Janssen, R. Single-cell sequencing reveals novel insights into spider eye development.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Single-cell sequencing reveals novel insights into spider eye development
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(English)Manuscript (preprint) (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Spiders evolved different types of eyes, a pair of primary eyes that are usually forward pointing, and three pairs of secondary eyes that are typically situated more posterior and lateral on the spider's head. The best understanding of arthropod eye development comes from the vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster, the main arthropod model organism that also evolved different types of eyes, the larval eyes and the ocelli and facet eyes of the imago. The gene regulatory networks (GRNs) that underlay eye development in this species are well investigated revealing a conserved core network, but also show a number of differences between the different types of eyes. Recent candidate gene approaches identified a number of conserved genes in arthropod eye development, but also revealed crucial differences including the apparent lack of some key factors in some groups of arthropods, including spiders. Here we use single cell sequencing (SCS) to overcome the bias of candidate gene approaches with the aim to identifying new genes involved in spider eye development, and thus to gain deeper insight into spider eye development, and arthropod eye development in general. Our main finding is that Hedgehog (Hh)-signalling is involved in eye development in the spider Parasteatoda tepidariorum, and by investigating embryonic gene expression in representatives of all main groups of spiders, we demonstrate that this involvement is conserved in spiders as a whole. 

Keywords
Arthropod Evolution, Arthropod Head Development, Eye Development, Visual system development
National Category
Zoology Evolutionary Biology
Research subject
Earth Science with specialization in Historical Geology and Palaeontology; Developmental Biology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-523433 (URN)
Funder
EU, Horizon 2020, 766053Swedish Research Council, 2022-03522
Available from: 2024-02-27 Created: 2024-02-27 Last updated: 2024-02-28Bibliographically approved
Co-InvestigatorJanssen, Ralf
Principal InvestigatorBudd, Graham E.
Co-InvestigatorArendt, Detlev
Co-InvestigatorMann, Richard
Coordinating organisation
Uppsala University
Funder
Period
2023-01-01 - 2026-12-31
National Category
Other Earth and Related Environmental SciencesZoologyEvolutionary Biology
Identifiers
DiVA, id: project:8120Project, id: 2022-03522_VR