Tackling a Taxonomic Giant - the Genus Croton (Euphorbiaceae)

应对分类学巨人——巴豆属（大戟科）

• 批准号: 0212481
• 负责人: Kenneth Sytsma
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Wisconsin-Madison
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2002
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2002-09-01 至 2006-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0212481&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Tackling; Taxonomic; Giant; Genus; Croton

0212481BerryUnder the direction of Prof. Paul Berry at University of Wisconsin-Madison, this project will study the species and relationships of Croton, one of the world's largest plant genera, with about 1,300 described species worldwide. This group was selected because it represents a significant segment of plant diversity (0.5% of all flowering plants), it is ecologically and medicinally important (especially in the tropics), yet the species are notoriously difficult to identify, and nobody has applied modern techniques to understand the genealogical relationships within the group. The project will conduct a broad molecular-based phylogenetic study of the genus, targeting about a fifth of the total species to determine how they relate in an evolutionary and geographical context. It will systematize a huge body of descriptive literature and specimens and provide an online database to names, distributions, and images of crotons. This should facilitate species identification and generation of regional checklists of the genus for any region of the world. There is a strong collaborative element in the project, as it will form a research network drawing upon scores of botanists worldwide who have worked on Croton, as well as training new students in molecular systematics, database management, and field work.This project is significant to biology because it will provide a much better understanding of the species and relationships of one of the largest and least well understood groups of flowering plants. Croton is used medicinally, and this project could pinpoint promising groups in the genus for more intensive pharmacological research. In a broader context, the project seeks to provide an effective model on how to deal with other large and difficult groups of organisms - using Internet resources to display images, databases, and identification aids; forming a research network of investigators worldwide, including training of graduate and undergraduate students in the U.S. and other countries; and utilizing cutting-edge molecular tools to establish a solid scientific framework for naming species and establishing their genealogical relationships. In this way, the Croton project should contribute significantly towards the societal goal of cataloging and understanding global biodiversity and presenting it to the public in a timely fashion and in a readily accessible format.

0212481在威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校的保罗·贝里（Paul Berry）教授的方向上，该项目将研究Croton的物种和关系，Croton是世界上最大的植物属之一，全球约有1,300个描述的物种。之所以选择该组是因为它代表了植物多样性的很大一部分（占所有开花植物的0.5％），因此在生态和药物上很重要（尤其是在热带地区），但是众所周知，该物种很难识别，并且没有人应用现代技术来了解该组中的家谱关系。该项目将对该属进行广泛的基于分子的系统发育研究，旨在确定它们在进化和地理环境中的关系。它将系统化大量的描述性文献和标本，并为CROTON的名称，分布和图像提供在线数据库。这应该促进世界上任何地区的属的物种鉴定和生成该属的区域清单。该项目中有一个很强的协作元素，因为它将借助全球范围内从事过Croton工作的数十种植物学家，并培训新生的分子系统学，数据库管理和现场工作的新生对生物学重要。 Croton被药用使用，该项目可以在该属中查明有希望的群体进行更密集的药理研究。在更广泛的背景下，该项目试图提供有关如何与其他大型和困难的生物体打交道的有效模型 - 使用互联网资源来显示图像，数据库和识别辅助工具；在全球组成研究网络，包括对美国和其他国家的研究生和本科生的培训；并利用尖端的分子工具为命名物种建立了稳固的科学框架并建立其家谱关系。通过这种方式，Croton项目应为分类和了解全球生物多样性的社会目标做出重大贡献，并以及时的方式和易于访问的形式向公众展示。