Molecular mechanisms of adaptive evolution in aquatic spiders
The goal of this project is to reveal the molecular mechanisms of adaptive evolution in aquatic spiders. How organisms evolve adaptively is one of the classic questions in evolutionary biology. Spiders are one of the more diverse groups of arthropods, with an estimated 170,000 species, and are found in almost all ecosystems on Earth except the atmosphere and distant seas. Currently, Argyroneta aquatica is the only spider in the world that can live its entire life history completely underwater, making it an ideal model for studying the evolution of aquatic adaptations in spiders and arthropods.