Tom Frankish

Profile

Project: The evolution and molecular control of trunk heterochronies in annelid larvae

Summary: Many animals develop into transitory larvae before metamorphosing into an adult. Changes in the timing of formation of the adult trunk might explain the evolution of larvae, yet how these changes occur remains unclear. This project will combine gene expression and regulation analyses at single-cell resolution to identify the cellular and molecular mechanisms controlling adult trunk formation in two annelid larvae with distinct timings of trunk development. By extending our findings in annelids to other animal groups with larvae, our project will uncover the developmental principles underpinning larval evolution, thus solving a long-standing question in evolutionary developmental biology.

Supervisor:

• Dr Chema Martin

Research