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（南纬 8-28 度）是地球上最干燥、最不适宜居住的地区，通常与火星上的沙漠相比。 尽管这些沙漠基本上没有植物，但由于当地季节性雾降水的积累，形成了植被“绿洲”。生物学家研究了海洋岛屿的物种形成，但对存在于大陆生态系统内并被栖息地隔离的“虚拟”岛屿的研究较少。在沿海沙漠中，此类群落被称为“洛马斯地层”，以离散的植被岛形式出现，被不同距离的极度干旱栖息地隔开。洛马斯地层代表了一个虚拟的群岛，但很大程度上未经研究。它们为检查进化模式和测试生物地理学假设提供了完美的实验室。 Nolana 属植物（茄科或马铃薯科）有 85 个物种，是阿塔卡马和秘鲁沙漠植物群中最常见的成员之一，每个洛马斯岛上至少有一种物种。 Nolana 物种在生长习性、营养和花卉形态以及生态偏好方面表现出广泛的差异，使它们成为研究进化模型、分类关系和分布模式的理想对象。 菲尔德自然历史博物馆的迈克尔·狄龙 (Michael Dillon) 博士和他的同事文俊 (Jun Wen) 博士将在智利和秘鲁沿海地区进行全面的实地研究，收集至少 75 种诺拉纳藻。 将对所有这些样本中的三个核基因（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）进行 DNA 测序，以测量突变差异并检查进化和生物地理学历史。诺拉娜。 分子和形态学结果将用于检验沿海沙漠大范围分布模式的假设。此外，诺拉纳的进化史为沿海沙漠的年龄和起源及其对短期事件（ENSO 或厄尔尼诺现象）和长期事件（冰川周期和海平面变化）的反应提供了线索。 该研究的其他产品将包括诺拉纳的综合分类学专着和网站可访问信息的广泛开发。岛屿及其生物群长期以来一直吸引着进化论和生物地理学的学生。该项目的结果将为诺拉纳的遗传多样性提供重要见解，并将制定沿海沙漠环境中受威胁和濒危物种的保护战略。 该项目将为研究生和博士后研究员提供植物系统学和生物地理学领域和实验室方法方面的培训。该研究将与智利和秘鲁的科学家和学生密切合作进行。 我们的发现不仅会引起植物科学家和生态学家的兴趣，还会引起气候学家、生态生理学家和地质考古学家的兴趣。