Phylogenetic Systematics of Nolana (Solanaceae) and Biogeographic Implications for the Atacama and Peruvian Deserts

Nolana（茄科）的系统发育系统学及其对阿塔卡马和秘鲁沙漠的生物地理学意义

• 批准号: 0415573
• 负责人: Michael Dillon
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Field Museum of Natural History
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-09-01 至 2008-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0415573&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Phylogenetic; Systematics; Nolana; Solanaceae; Biogeographic

0415573Dillon The Peruvian and Atacama coastal deserts of South America (8-28 degrees S latitude) are the planet's driest and most inhospitable landscapes, often compared to those found on Mars. Although these deserts are largely devoid of plants, there are "oases" of vegetation made possible by local seasonal accumulation of fog precipitation. Biologists have studied speciation in oceanic islands, but, less studied are "virtual" islands that exist within continental ecosystems and are isolated by intervening habitats. In the coastal deserts, such communities are called "lomas formations" and occur as discrete islands of vegetation, separated by varying distances of hyper-arid habitat. The lomas formations represent a virtual archipelago, largely unstudied. They offer the perfect laboratory for examining evolutionary patterns and testing biogeographic hypotheses. With 85 species, the plant genus Nolana (Solanaceae or Potato Family) is one of the most frequently encountered members of the Atacama and Peruvian desert flora, with at least one species occurring on every lomas island. Nolana species exhibit extensive variation in growth habit, vegetative and floral morphology, and ecological preferences, making them an ideal subject for investigating evolutionary models, taxonomic relationships, and distribution patterns. Dr. Michael Dillon and his colleague Dr. Jun Wen at the Field Museum of Natural History will conduct comprehensive field studies in coastal Chile and Peru to collect at least 75 species of Nolana. Three nuclear genes (GBSSI, nitrate reductase (NIA) introns, ribosomal 5S) and two chloroplast genes (trnC-trnD region, ndhF ) will be DNA-sequenced from all these samples to measure mutational differences and to examine the evolution and biogeographic history of Nolana. Molecular and morphological results will be used to test hypotheses of broad-scale distribution patterns in the coastal deserts. Further, the evolutionary history of Nolana holds clues to the age and origin of the coastal deserts and their reactions to short-term events (ENSO or El Nino phenomena) and longer-term events (glacial cycles and sea-level changes). Additional products from the research will include a comprehensive taxonomic monograph of Nolana and extensive development of website accessible information.Islands and their biotas have long interested students of evolution and biogeography. The results of this project will provide important insights into the genetic diversity of Nolana and will establish strategies for the conservation of threatened and endangered species within coastal desert environments. The project will provide training for a graduate student and a post-doctoral researcher in both field and laboratory methodologies in plant systematics and biogeography. The research will be developed in close collaboration with scientists and students in Chile and Peru. Our discoveries will be of interest not only to plant scientists and ecologists, but also to climatologists, ecophysiologists and geoarcheologists.

0415573Dillon南美洲的秘鲁和阿塔卡马沿海沙漠（8-28度的纬度）是地球上最干燥，最荒凉的景观，通常与在火星上发现的景观相比。 尽管这些沙漠在很大程度上没有植物，但由于雾气沉淀的局部季节性积累，植被的“绿洲”成为可能。生物学家已经在海洋岛上研究了物种物种，但是，研究较少的是大陆生态系统中存在的“虚拟”岛屿，并通过干预栖息地隔离。在沿海沙漠中，这样的社区被称为“洛马斯构造”，并作为离散的植被岛出现，被各种栖息地的距离不同。 Lomas编队代表了一个虚拟群岛，在很大程度上未被研究。他们为检查进化模式和测试生物地理假设提供了理想的实验室。拥有85种植物Nolana属（茄科或马铃薯家族）是Atacama和秘鲁沙漠植物区系中最常遇到的成员之一，每个Lomas岛上都有至少一种物种。 Nolana物种在生长习惯，营养和花卉形态以及生态偏好方面表现出广泛的差异，使其成为研究进化模型，分类学关系和分布模式的理想主题。 迈克尔·狄龙（Michael Dillon）博士和他的同事在自然历史博物馆的朱恩·温（Jun Wen）博士将在智利沿海和秘鲁进行全面的现场研究，以收集至少75种Nolana。 三个核基因（GBSSI，硝酸还原酶（NIA）内含子，核糖体5s）和两个叶绿体基因（TRNC-TRND区域，NDHF）将从所有这些样品中均延伸，以测量突变差异并检查Nolana的进化和生物地理学史。 分子和形态学结果将用于检验沿海沙漠中广泛分布模式的假设。此外，诺拉纳（Nolana）的进化历史具有沿海沙漠的年龄和起源的线索及其对短期事件（ENSO或El Nino现象）和长期事件（冰川周期和海平面变化）的反应。 该研究中的其他产品将包括诺拉纳（Nolana）的全面分类学专着以及网站可访问信息的广泛开发。伊斯兰（Islands）及其生物群体长期以来一直对进化和生物地理学的学生感兴趣。该项目的结果将为诺拉纳（Nolana）的遗传多样性提供重要的见解，并将为保护威胁和濒危物种在沿海沙漠环境中制定策略。 该项目将为植物系统和生物地理学领域和实验室方法论的研究生和博士后研究人员提供培训。该研究将与智利和秘鲁的科学家和学生密切合作开发。 我们的发现不仅对植物科学家和生态学家，而且对气候学家，生态生理学家和地理学家的兴趣。