Download Preprint
1 Mobilising molluscan models and genomes in biology 2 Angus Davison1 and Maurine Neiman2 3 1. School of Life Sciences, University Park, University of Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK 4 2. Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA and Department of Gender, 5 Women's, and Sexuality Studies, University of Iowa, Iowa, City, IA, USA 6 Abstract 7 Molluscs are amongst the most ancient, diverse, and important of all animal taxa. Even so, 8 no individual mollusc species has emerged as a broadly applied model system in biology. 9 We here make the case that both perceptual and methodological barriers have played a role 10 in the relative neglect of molluscs as research organisms. We then summarize the current 11 application and potential of molluscs and their genomes to address important questions in 12 animal biology, and the state of the field when it comes to the availability of resources such 13 as genome assemblies, cell lines, and other key elements necessary to mobilising the 14 development of molluscan model systems. We conclude by contending that a cohesive 15 research community that works together to elevate multiple molluscan systems to ‘model’ 16 status will create new opportunities in addressing basic and applied biological problems, 17 including general features of animal evolution. 18 Introduction 19 Molluscs are globally important as sources of food, calcium and pearls, and as vectors of 20 human disease. From an evolutionary perspective, molluscs are notable for their remarkable 21 diversity: originating over 500 million years ago, there are over 70,000 extant mollusc 22 species [1], with molluscs present in virtually every ecosystem.
[Show full text]