H2020Индивидуална стипендия2017–2019

CONVGENOMS · The genomic basis of convergent evolution in modern sloths (Xenarthra, Mammalia)

„Хоризонт 2020“ — Действия „Мария Склодовска-Кюри“

Период: 2017-10-01 → 2019-09-30
Финансиране от ЕС: 159 461 €
Участници: 1
Схема: MSCA-IF-EF-ST

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Накратко на български

Геномната основа на конвергентната еволюция при двупръстите и трипръстите ленивци разкрива как сходни адаптации, като висенето по клоните, се появяват независимо при двата рода. Това помага да се разбере как различни видове развиват еднакви физически характеристики, въпреки че са далечни роднини.

Този кратък обзор е генериран от изкуствен интелект

Кратко обяснение, генерирано от езиков модел по текста на CORDIS. Оригиналът е по-долу.

Резултати накратко

The genomic basis of convergent evolution in modern sloths (Xenarthra, Mammalia)

Tree-sloths are some of the most unusual of mammals. The two extant genera, two-toed Choloepus, and three-toed Bradypus spend their lives suspended in tree canopies primarily eating leaves in the forests of South and Central America. To maintain this lifestyle, tree-sloths underwent a number of major adaptations during their evolution: they present a lower-than-average muscle content, a porous bone structure and several anatomical forelimb bone adaptations that allow them to hang against gravity on the tree canopy with minimal energy expenditure. They are the only inverted quadrupeds in the world. In addition, sloths are unusually heterothermic, partially regulation their body temperature and metabolism in accordance with the ambient temperature. They are also the only survivors of a once very diverse group (~100 genera) where most of the species perished at the end of the last ice age (about 11,000 years ago). In contrast to their extinct relatives - that were mostly very large and terrestrial - Bradypus and Choloepus are the only ones to live exclusively on the tree canopies. Very recent studies have shown that their numerous shared superficial adaptations evolved in parallel, as Bradypus and Choloepus are only distantly-related, sharing a last common ancestor ~30 million years ago. These studies show that each clade of extant sloths is more closely related to distinct groups of large-ground sloths than they are to each other, making their obligatory suspensory locomotion one of the most impressive cases of convergent evolution among mammals. Very little was known about the genomics of sloths until this work was performed. In fact, the whole Superorder Xenarthra (sloths, anteaters and armadillos) is understudied from a molecular perspective, despite representing an entire clade of placental mammals with unique adaptations and life-styles. This project aimed to sequence genomes for tree-sloths and perform comparative genomic analysis to study their unique adaptations from the molecular perspective. We have done so by sequencing one chromosome-level genome for Choloepus didactylus and a draft genome for Bradypus tritdactylus. Detailed comparative analysis of these genomes is allowing us to unveil the molecular basis of their peculiar adaptations.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз

Цел на проекта

At the end of the Pleistocene mass extinctions of the mega-fauna occurred worldwide, in particular in the Americas. Following the last glacial period, mammoths, mastodonts, giant sloths and other large mammals succumbed until extinction (about 10,000 years ago). While some Orders within Mammalia lost a couple of species, the sloths (Folivora, Xenarthra) clade has virtually lost all its diversity, gaining a status of a nearly-extinct suborder. Only two out of the close to 100 genera estimated to have existed survived to the mass extinctions to this date, named Bradypus and Choloepus. In contrast to their giant relatives, the modern sloths are medium-sized animals that developed a very specialized feature: obligatory arboreal suspensory behaviour. Their surprisingly high number of superficial similarities were acquired in parallel – since both genera are completely unrelated, and probably diverged ~30 Mya – and represent an amazing example of convergent evolution. In the current Genomics era, we are finally at a point in which full genomes can be assembled for non-model organisms at reasonable costs, bringing unprecedented opportunities for new studies on elementary questions on evolution. Here we propose to study the genomic signs of convergent evolution leading to obligatory suspensory locomotion and low metabolic rate on a comparative genomic analysis including 4 whole genome sloth sequences, three of which will be sequenced and assembled within this study. The Experienced Researcher masters all the bioinformatics expertise to complete the genomes. The host institution offers all the infrastructure and hypothesis thinking to successfully finalize the project. Jointly this team can push the boundaries of biological knowledge beyond, which will help the applicant to mature in order to lead a research group in the future. The applicant will also be trained in project management, supervision, teaching, and presentation of scientific results.

Оригинален текст от CORDIS (на английски).

Участници

FORSCHUNGSVERBUND BERLIN EV · BerlinКоординаторГермания