Reduction & reversal in the Funariaceae: phylogenetic perspective on sporophyte complexity and role of the calyptra

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• 批准号: 0919284
• 负责人: Bernard Goffinet
• 金额: $ 59.92万
• 依托单位: University of Connecticut
• 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: 2009-07-15 至 2013-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0919284&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Reduction; reversal; Funariaceae; phylogenetic; perspective

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Evolution typically leads to organisms that are increasingly complex in the way they look, the sorts of chemicals they produce, or the way their cells function. However, complex and costly characters can also be lost. For example, many lineages of birds have lost the ability to fly. Are very simple organisms evolutionary cul-de-sacs? By looking at the spore producing structures in mosses, this research will examine whether complexity can be lost and then re-evolve. The evolutionary history of the moss family Funariaceae will be assessed through analyses of DNA sequences. Meanwhile, morphological complexity will be quantified through electron microscopy and morphological measurements. In particular, this research will assess the evolutionary history of species that look quite simple, such as Physcomitrella patens, a new model organism in genomic research. The research will also test whether more complex spore-bearing structures help to keep the spores from drying out.Despite their ecological and evolutionary significance, mosses receive no attention in K-12 education. Educational materials will be developed with high-school teachers to promote curricular integration of mosses and to increase general literacy in plant biology. The project provides training opportunities for one post-doctoral researcher, one female graduate student, and undergraduates.

该奖项是根据2009年的《美国复苏与再投资法》（公法111-5）资助的。进化通常会导致生物体以其外观，产生的化学物质或细胞的功能越来越复杂。 但是，复杂且昂贵的角色也可能会丢失。例如，许多鸟类的谱系失去了飞行的能力。非常简单的生物是进化的CUL-DE-SACS吗？通过查看苔藓中的孢子产生结构，这项研究将检查是否会丢失复杂性然后再进化。将通过分析DNA序列来评估MOSS家族Funariaceae的进化史。 同时，将通过电子显微镜和形态测量来量化形态复杂性。特别是，这项研究将评估看起来很简单的物种的进化史，例如Physcomitrella Patens，这是一种新型的基因组研究模型生物。这项研究还将测试更复杂的孢子结构是否有助于防止孢子干燥。尽管有生态和进化意义，但苔藓在K-12教育中没有受到关注。教育材料将与高中教师一起开发，以促进苔藓的课程整合并提高植物生物学的一般识字率。该项目为一位博士后研究人员，一名女研究生和本科生提供了培训机会。