Chelicerate genomics: The deconstruction of arachnids and the genomic basis of silk, venoms and other traits of biological importance Authors Miquel A. Arnedo Universitat de Barcelona Julio Rozas Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona Keywords: whole genome duplication (WGD), terrestralization, evolution, biological diversity, chemosensory system. Abstract Spiders, scorpions, and their kin have always fascinated and horrified humans alike. Although they originated in the pre-Cambrian seas, chelicerates are one of the most abundant and diverse organisms in terrestrial ecosystems, where they play a key role in food webs as one of the dominant predators. Comparative genomic analysis of chelicerates is still in its infancy: there are few complete genomes, unevenly distributed taxonomically, which compromises their representativeness. However, the available information has greatly contributed to improving our current knowledge about the origin and evolution of the group and the genomic architecture of traits of biological, economic and medical relevance such as the synthesis of silk and venoms, the gene families involved in smell and taste (chemosensory system) or the adaptation to different diets, including parasitism. The acquisition of new high-quality genomes throughout the tree of life of chelicerates, promises key future discoveries for the understanding of the great diversification and extraordinary adaptations of these fascinating animals, but also for their applications in conservation, biomedicine, sustainable pest management and the development of new biological materials. Downloads Download data is not yet available. Downloads PDF (Català) Issue Vol. 72 (2022) Section Articles License The intellectual property of the articles belongs to the respective authors. At the time of submitting the articles to Treballs de la Societat Catalana de Biologia, authors accept the following terms: — Authors assign to the SCB (a subsidiary of the Institut d’Estudis Catalans) the rights of reproduction, public communication (including communication through social networks) and distribution of the articles submitted for publication to Treballs de la Societat Catalana de Biologia, in any form and medium, including digital platforms. The Publications Committee reserves the right to accept or refuse submitted articles and the right to make any editorial changes it deems appropriate. If the suggested changes are accepted by authors, they should re-submit the article with such changes. — Authors answer to the SCB for the authorship and originality of submitted articles. In other words, authors assure that submitted articles do not contain fragments of works by other authors or fragments of their own previously published works; that the content of articles is original, and that the copyright of third parties is not infringed upon. Authors accept this responsibility and undertake to hold harmless the SCB for any loss or damage resulting from non-compliance with this obligation. Furthermore, they should include a statement in articles submitted to the journal regarding their responsibility for the content of the articles. — Authors are responsible for obtaining permission for the reproduction of all graphic material included in articles, and they should moreover ensure that images, videos, etc., have been created with the consent of the individuals appearing in them, and that material belonging to third parties is clearly identified and acknowledged as such within the text. Likewise, authors should provide the respective consents and authorisations to the SCB when submitting articles. — The SCB is exempt from any liability arising from the possible infringement of intellectual property rights by authors. In all cases, it undertakes to publish corrections, clarifications, retractions and apologies, if necessary. — Unless otherwise stated in the text or in the graphic material, the contents published in the journal are subject to an Attribution - NonCommercial - NoDerivs 3.0 Spain (by-nc-nd) license from Creative Commons, the full text of which may be consulted at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/es/deed.en. Therefore, the general public is authorised to reproduce, distribute and communicate articles as long as their authorship and publishing entity are acknowledged, and no commercial use is made of them nor derivative work produced from them. — The journal is not responsible for the ideas and opinions expressed by the authors of published articles.
