鳞翅目昆虫并列像眼与重叠像眼比较形态学及演化研究

Compound eyes are important visual organs of insects and classified into apposition eyes and superposition eyes based on the structure of ommatidia. However, the evolutionary relationship between the apposition eyes and superposition eyes is a long-standing and controversial issue, which has not yet been satisfactorily resolved hitherto. Lepidoptera are the second large order in the Insecta, and their compound eyes include both apposition eyes and superposition eyes. In addition, several basal lepidopteran groups have peculiar intermediate eyes, which have the characteristics of both apposition eyes and superposition eyes and often are regarded as transitional types between apposition eyes and superposition eyes, providing good materials for studying the evolutionary relationship between apposition eyes and superposition eyes. Three families of the Lepidoptera, Pieridae, Noctuidae, and Nepticulidae, are chosen as our objects of study. Combining with comparative morphology, developmental biology, and genetics, this proposal aims to investigate the morphological features, developmental processes, and gene regulations of the apposition eyes of Pieridae, the superposition eyes of Noctuidae, and the intermediate eyes of Nepticulidae, attempting to elucidate the variation trends of the morphological features among the apposition eyes, the superposition eyes, and the intermediate eyes and reveal the evolutionary relationship of the apposition eyes and the superposition eyes. The research will provide theoretic foundations for exploring the evolutionary mechanism of compound eyes of insects.

复眼是昆虫重要的视觉器官，根据小眼结构可分为并列像眼和重叠像眼。然而，并列像眼与重叠像眼之间的演化关系，迄今仍存有很大争议。鳞翅目是昆虫纲第二大目，其复眼同时包括并列像眼和重叠像眼；一些低等的鳞翅目类群具有独特的中间型眼。这种中间型眼既具有并列像眼的特征又有重叠像眼的特征，常被认为是并列像眼和重叠像眼之间演化的过渡类型，为研究并列像眼与重叠像眼之间的演化关系提供了理想的研究材料。本项目拟选择鳞翅目粉蝶科、夜蛾科和微蛾科为研究对象，联合比较形态学、发育生物学及基因学方法，研究粉蝶科并列像眼、夜蛾科重叠像眼和微蛾科中间型眼的结构组成、发育过程及基因调控，分析鳞翅目昆虫并列像眼、重叠像眼和中间型眼之间的特征变异趋势，揭示并列像眼与重叠像眼之间的演化关系。本项目的完成，可为探讨昆虫复眼的演化机制提供依据。

昆虫复眼的类型可分为并列像眼和重叠像眼，但这两种类型复眼之间的演化关系一直存在较大争议。本项目结合比较形态学、发育生物学和基因学方法，研究鳞翅目粉蝶科、蛱蝶科、灰蝶科、夜蛾科、野螟科、赏蛾科复眼的结构组成、发育过程与基因调控，分析鳞翅目昆虫并列像眼与重叠像眼之间的特征变异趋势，揭示并列像眼与重叠像眼之间的演化关系。. 研究发现，粉蝶科、蛱蝶科与灰蝶科成虫复眼属于并列像眼，而夜蛾科、野螟科与赏蛾科昆虫复眼具有明显的透明区，为重叠像眼。在菜粉蝶的并列像眼中，小眼晶体的末端延伸形成细长的晶体束，具有对光线的重定向功能，非常类似于重叠像眼的晶体透镜。这种具聚焦功能的晶体束很可能是并列像眼向重叠像眼演化的过渡阶段。. 光暗适应下，亲土苔蛾成虫的重叠像眼发生色素颗粒的纵向迁移进入透明区，而亚洲玉米螟的重叠像眼并未发生色素纵向迁移，而是无论光适应还是暗适应下都聚集在晶体周围，并不进入透明区。这种色素不发生纵向移动的现象也存在于粉蝶科的并列像眼中，可能代表着一种从白天活动转变为固定夜间活动的渐进机制。. 鳞翅目复眼的形态发生主要集中在蛹期，但在末龄幼虫期成虫复眼已经开始发育。首先以眼原基的形式在幼虫表皮下进行大量细胞增殖。在蛹期继续进行细胞分化，首先分化出视网膜细胞，其次是晶体细胞，最后分化色素细胞及其他附属细胞。重叠像眼的透明区就是次级色素细胞在分化过程中极度膨大的透明胞质在晶体与感光细胞层之间聚集形成的。. 综上所述，鳞翅目昆虫并列像眼与重叠像眼的细胞组成基本相同。重叠像眼特有的透明区结构其实是次级色素细胞的形态修饰形成的。并列像眼与重叠像眼是同源的，重叠像眼是由并列像眼演化形成的。. 本项目已发表学术论文3篇，其中SCI论文2篇，昆虫学报1篇。