DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Systematics and Morphological Evolution of Leiodidae (Coleoptera): A New Perspective on the Evolutionary Determinants of Beetle Diversity

论文研究：Leiodidae（鞘翅目）的系统学和形态进化：甲虫多样性进化决定因素的新视角

• 批准号: 0710239
• 负责人: Kipling Will
• 金额: $ 1.16万
• 依托单位: University of California-Berkeley
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2007-08-01 至 2009-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0710239&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Systematics; Morphological; Evolution

The beetle family Leiodidae occurs worldwide and encompasses a tremendous breadth of morphological and ecological diversity, including iridescent fungivores, eyeless, wingless cave-dwellers, and mammalian ectoparasites. An improved understanding of leiodid evolutionary relationships (phylogeny) will make it possible to examine how and why these unusual lifestyles have evolved. This study will use morphological and DNA data from the five subfamilies and 19 described tribes of Leiodidae to determine the phylogeny of the family and its placement within the superfamily Staphylinoidea. A resolved phylogeny will be used to determine why some lineages of fungus- or carrion-feeding beetles diversify dramatically and others do not.Studies of insect diversification have traditionally been confined to coevolutionary systems such as species-specific plant feeders or parasites. This investigation will provide a novel perspective on evolutionary determinants of diversification, and will open up a new model system for future studies of insect ecomorphology, biogeography, and evolutionary ecology. Taxonomic products of this study will include well-illustrated print and web-accessible identification keys to the leiodid fauna of temperate forests in South America, New Zealand, and Australia. These keys will be valuable for use in conservation, ecological studies, and educational outreach, particularly in the highly threatened Valdivian coastal forests of southern Chile.

甲虫科Leiodidae 分布于世界各地，具有广泛的形态和生态多样性，包括虹彩食真菌动物、无眼、无翅的穴居动物和哺乳动物体外寄生虫。 对鳞翅目进化关系（系统发育）的更好理解将使研究这些不寻常的生活方式如何以及为何进化成为可能。本研究将使用来自 5 个亚科和 19 个已描述部落的形态学和 DNA 数据来确定该科的系统发育及其在葡萄总科中的位置。已解决的系统发育将用于确定为什么某些以真菌或腐肉为食的甲虫谱系显着多样化，而其他谱系则不然。昆虫多样化的研究传统上仅限于共同进化系统，例如特定物种的植物饲养者或寄生虫。这项研究将为多样化的进化决定因素提供新的视角，并将为昆虫生态形态学、生物地理学和进化生态学的未来研究开辟新的模型系统。这项研究的分类产品将包括南美洲、新西兰和澳大利亚温带森林的鳞片动物群的详细插图印刷版和网络可访问识别码。这些密钥对于保护、生态研究和教育推广非常有价值，特别是在智利南部受到高度威胁的瓦尔迪维亚沿海森林。