REVSYS: Phylogenetic Systematics and the Taxonomic Revision of Sturgeons, (Actinopterygii: Acipenseridae), an Endangered Family of Ray-finned fishes

REVSYS：系统发育系统学和鲟鱼的分类学修订（Actinopterygii：鲟科），濒临灭绝的射线鳍鱼类家族

• 批准号: 0841691
• 负责人: Eric Hilton
• 金额: $ 49.46万
• 依托单位: College of William & Mary Virginia Institute of Marine Science
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-09-01 至 2013-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0841691&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: REVSYS; Phylogenetic; Systematics; Taxonomic; Revision

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Sturgeons, paddlefishes and their fossil relatives form a small group that is thought to have split off from other fishes early in the evolutionary history of ray-finned fishes, the group that contains approximately half of all vertebrate species alive today. The 25 living species of sturgeons are distinctive fishes, with five rows of bony plates along their bodies, elongate snouts, and shark-like tails. Many species of these so-called living fossils, which are found throughout the northern hemisphere, are difficult to distinguish from one another and most of these long-lived, highly migratory fishes are endangered or threatened. Hilton and his collaborator Dillman will conduct the first ever analysis of evolutionary relationships to include both morphological (primarily skeletal anatomy) and DNA data for all living and fossil sturgeon species. Together Hilton, Dillman, and an international team of sturgeon experts will conduct detailed taxonomic studies of every species of sturgeon based on new observations of specimens housed in natural history collections. This study will establish a new taxonomic classification of sturgeons, which will be used in many areas of their biology, including developmental, evolutionary, and conservation biology, and fisheries management.This project will support and train a postdoctoral researcher and a Ph.D. student in the methods and techniques of both morphological and molecular evolutionary biology and taxonomy. Hilton is active in programs focused on training of undergraduate and high school students, and public volunteers, all of which will be involved in this project. Sturgeons are culturally and economically important fishes (e.g., they are the source of caviar) and are of great interest to public audiences. Public outreach activities associated with this research, including displays at local and regional museums and aquaria, will target audiences at all scales (local to global) and will promote the crucial role that natural history collections, systematics, and taxonomy continue to play in 21st century biology.

该奖项是根据 2009 年《美国复苏和再投资法案》（公法 111-5）提供资金的。鲟鱼、白鲟及其化石亲属组成了一个小群体，人们认为该群体在鳐鱼进化史的早期就与其他鱼类分开了。有鳍鱼类，这一类包含了当今现存脊椎动物物种的大约一半。现存的 25 种鲟鱼都是独特的鱼类，它们的身体有五排骨板、细长的鼻子和鲨鱼般的尾巴。这些所谓的活化石遍布北半球，许多种类很难相互区分，而且这些长寿、高度洄游的鱼类大多数都濒临灭绝或受到威胁。希尔顿和他的合作者迪尔曼将首次对进化关系进行分析，包括所有现存和化石鲟鱼物种的形态学（主要是骨骼解剖学）和 DNA 数据。希尔顿、迪尔曼和国际鲟鱼专家团队将根据对自然历史收藏中标本的新观察，对每种鲟鱼进行详细的分类学研究。这项研究将建立一个新的鲟鱼分类学分类，该分类将用于其生物学的许多领域，包括发育、进化和保护生物学以及渔业管理。该项目将支持和培训一名博士后研究员和一名博士生。形态学和分子进化生物学和分类学方法和技术的学生。希尔顿积极开展针对本科生、高中生以及公共志愿者培训的项目，所有这些人员都将参与该项目。鲟鱼是具有重要文化和经济意义的鱼类（例如，它们是鱼子酱的来源），并且引起了公众的极大兴趣。与这项研究相关的公共宣传活动，包括在当地和地区博物馆和水族馆的展示，将针对各种规模的观众（当地到全球），并将促进自然历史收藏、系统学和分类学在 21 世纪继续发挥的关键作用生物学。