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Deep Diversity: Extensive Variation in the Components of Complex Visual Systems across Animals
Oliver Vöcking1, Aide Macias-Muñoz2, Stuart J Jaeger2
1Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40508, USA.
Cells
|December 23, 2022
Summary
Exploring the evolution of complex animal systems reveals "deep diversity" in the genes and regulatory interactions underlying similar traits like eyes across species. This highlights significant variation in the molecular components of biological complexity.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Comparative Genomics
Background:
- Understanding the genetic basis of complex system evolution is crucial.
- Animal eyes and phototransduction offer a model for studying trait evolution due to well-characterized genetics in some species.
- Comparative studies in non-model organisms are vital for a comprehensive evolutionary perspective.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the extent to which similar or different genes and regulatory interactions underlie similar complex systems (e.g., animal eyes) across diverse species.
- To compare photoreceptor cells, opsins, and phototransduction cascades in various taxa, with a focus on cnidarians.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of photoreceptor cell characteristics, opsins, and phototransduction cascades across diverse taxa.
- Focus on cnidarians as a key group for detailed investigation.
- Utilizing insights from model organisms while advocating for unbiased genome-wide comparisons in non-model organisms.
Main Results:
- Findings challenge the concept of 'deep homology' by revealing a 'deep diversity' in the molecular components underlying similar complex traits.
- Comparisons, particularly in non-model organisms, demonstrate significant variation in genes and regulatory interactions across taxa.
- This variation illustrates how different molecular toolkits can result in similar complex systems, such as animal vision.
Conclusions:
- The evolution of complex systems is characterized by 'deep diversity' rather than solely relying on homologous genes.
- Candidate gene approaches from model organisms are a useful starting point but insufficient for fully understanding biodiversity.
- Unbiased genome-wide comparisons and functional validation are essential to uncover unique genetic components in non-model organisms and advance our understanding of biodiversity and evolution.
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