A trade-off in evolution: the adaptive landscape of spiders without venom glands.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Venom glands play a key role in the predation and defense strategies of almost all spider groups. However, the spider family Uloboridae lacks venom glands and has evolved an adaptive strategy: they excessively wrap their prey directly with spider silk instead of paralyzing it first with toxins. This shift in survival strategy is very fascinating, but the genetic underpinnings behind it are poorly understood.

Results

Spanning multiple spider groups, we conducted multiomics analyses on Octonoba sinensis and described the adaptive evolution of the Uloboridae family at the genome level. We observed the coding genes of myosin and twitchin in muscles are under positive selection, energy metabolism functions are enhanced, and gene families related to tracheal development

SUBMITTER: Zhang Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11299198 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature