DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Investigating the accumulation of evidence for speciation: species delimitation in a rapid and recent radiation

论文研究：调查物种形成证据的积累：快速和近期辐射中的物种界定

• 批准号: 1210895
• 负责人: David Tank
• 金额: $ 1.5万
• 依托单位: Regents of the University of Idaho
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-05-01 至 2015-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1210895&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Investigating; accumulation; evidence

Although it is widely accepted that speciation is a gradual and constant process with no clear boundaries for the identification of species, to our knowledge, no study has empirically evaluated the accumulation of species properties across time scales or from a comparative phylogenetic perspective. The research objective of this study is to evaluate the order and magnitude of change in species properties over time in the mostly South American plant genus Bartsia L. - a group of closely related species that show varying degrees of morphological, ecological, and geographical differentiation, but for which the evolutionary relationships are as of yet, unknown. To accomplish this objective, the proposed work includes, 1) a rigorous assessment of species delimitation using multiple lines of evidence including molecular, morphological, ecological, and geographical information, 2) the reconstruction of a well-resolved species phylogeny, and 3) an evolutionary comparative analysis of the accumulation of the inherent properties of a species. In addition, the resulting robust phylogenetic hypothesis for the South American species of Bartsia will provide the necessary framework for future comparative ecological and evolutionary studies in this group.The páramo is considered one of the most biodiverse montane ecosystems in the world and a more thorough understanding of páramo biodiversity is essential for the development of effective conservation strategies for this ecologically important and fragile Andean ecosystem. To actively aid in the conservation of the páramo we will engage in several lectures about patterns of biodiversity in the Andes sponsored and coordinated by collaborating institutions in Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia.

尽管人们普遍认为物种形成是一个渐进且持续的过程，物种识别没有明确的界限，但据我们所知，还没有研究从经验上评估跨时间尺度或从比较系统发育角度的物种属性的积累。这项研究的目的是评估大多数南美植物属 Bartsia L. 物种特性随时间变化的顺序和幅度。Bartsia L. 是一组密切相关的物种，表现出不同程度的形态、生态和地理分化，但对于这些物种来说，进化关系是为了实现这一目标，拟议的工作包括：1）使用多种证据（包括分子、形态、生态和地理信息）对物种划界进行严格评估，2）重建已解决的物种系统发育， 3）对物种固有特性积累的进化比较分析此外，由此产生的南美巴茨亚种的稳健系统发育假说将为该群体未来的比较生态和进化研究提供必要的框架。帕拉莫被认为是世界上生物多样性最丰富的山地生态系统之一，更全面地了解帕拉莫生物多样性对于为这个具有重要生态意义且脆弱的安第斯生态系统制定有效的保护战略至关重要。参加由秘鲁、厄瓜多尔和哥伦比亚合作机构主办和协调的关于安第斯山脉生物多样性模式的几场讲座。