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

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

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 on several groups of lizards. This project will test several hypotheses with the diverse datatypes 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.