I løbet af sine studier undersøgte Jilong Ma genomers evolution ved hjælp af genomiske data fra sociale edderkopper samt deres søsterarter. Sociale edderkopper (arter fra slægten Stegodyphus) har udviklet en markant livsstil med socialt samvær, herunder opbygning af fælles fangnet, samarbejde ved fangst af bytte og pasning af afkom. Sociale edderkopper er også særlige i evolutionen, da de gentagne gange har udviklet social adfærd, men alle er unge arter, hvilket tyder på, at social adfærd hos edderkopper er en evolutionær blindgyde. Livsstilsændringer resulterer i en mindre effektiv selektion hos de sociale edderkopper. Jilong studerede, hvordan genomernes evolution har ændret sig hos de sociale edderkopper i forhold til deres ikke-sociale søsterarter under scenariet med reduceret selektion.
De nye forskningsresultater bidrager til forståelsen af, hvornår socialiteten etableres hos de sociale arter, og genomernes respons på udviklingen af social adfærd. De konvergente genomiske ændringer hos sociale arter giver indblik i, hvorfor de sociale edderkopper er evolutionære blindgyder, og hvordan genomets evolution formes af evolutionære kræfter generelt.

Ph.d.-graden blev afsluttet på Bioinformatik Forskningscenter (BiRC), Aarhus Universitet.

Dette resumé blev udarbejdet af ph.d.-studerende.

During his studies, Jilong Ma researched genome evolution using genomics data from social spiders. Social spiders (species from the Stegodyphus genus) evolve striking lifestyles of social living including the building of communal webs, cooperative hunting and broodcare. Social spiders are also special in evolution due to that they have repeatedly evolved only in young species lineages, indicating that sociality in spiders is a short-lived evolutionary strategy. Lifestyle changes result in relaxed selection on the social spiders. Jilong studied how genome evolution has changed in the social spiders compared to their non-social sister species under the scenario of long-term reduced selection.

The new research findings contribute to the understanding of when sociality is established in the social species and how genomics responds to the evolution of sociality. The convergent genomics changes in social species provide insights into why the social spiders are short-lived species in evolution and how is the genome evolution shaped by evolutionary forces in general.

The PhD degree was completed at the Bioinformatics Research Center (BiRC), Aarhus University.

This summary was prepared by the PhD student.

Tid: 10. juni  2024, kl. 14.00
Sted: 1870-816, Universitetsbyen 81, 8000 Aarhus
Titel på ph.d.-afhandling: Genomic Responses to Evolution of Sociality in Stegodyphus Spiders

Contact information: Jilong Ma, e-mail: aujilongm@bio.au.dk
Members of the assessment committee:
[Professor Stephen Wright, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Canada
Professor Sylvain Glémin, CNRS, France

Professor Thomas Bataillon (chair), Bioinformatics Resarch Center, Aarhus University]
Main supervisor:
Professor Mikkel Heide Schierup, Bioinformatics Resarch Center, Aarhus University]
Co-supervisor:
Jesper Bechsgaard, Department of Biology, Aarhus University

Trine Bilde, Department of Biology, Aarhus University

Palle Villesen, Bioinformatics Resarch Center, Aarhus University

Kontakt information: Jilong Ma, e-mail: aujilongm@bio.au.dk

Bedømmelsesudvalg:
[Professor Stephen Wright, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Canada
Professor Sylvain Glémin, CNRS, France

Professor Thomas Bataillon (forperson), Bioinformatics Resarch Center, Aarhus University
Hovedvejleder:
Professor Mikkel Heide Schierup, Bioinformatics Research Center, Aarhus University
Medvejleder:
Jesper Bechsgaard, Department of Biology, Aarhus University

Trine Bilde, Department of Biology, Aarhus University

Palle Villesen, Bioinformatics Research Center, Aarhus University