CAREER: Investigating Biogeographic Hypotheses and Drivers of Diversification in Neotropical Harvestmen (Opiliones: Laniatores) Using Ultraconserved Elements

职业：利用超保守元素研究新热带收获者（Opiliones：Laniatores）多样化的生物地理学假设和驱动因素

• 批准号: 2337605
• 负责人: Daniel Proud
• 金额: $ 88.8万
• 依托单位: Moravian University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-01-01 至 2028-12-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2337605&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Investigating; Biogeographic; Hypotheses; Drivers

Understanding processes that generate biodiversity, and explaining the distribution of species on Earth, are fundamental goals in studies of evolutionary history and biogeography. The arachnid order Opiliones, known as harvestmen or daddy long-legs, provides a powerful model for understanding the factors that affect the distribution of species. This project will advance our scientific knowledge of how species diversity has been shaped by evolutionary processes linked to complex geological and climatic histories. The research will focus on harvestmen in Central America and the Caribbean Islands. The discovery of new species will promote conservation efforts of critical habitats and educate the public about biodiversity science. A postdoctoral researcher and many undergraduate students will participate in mentored research. They will be trained to use powerful bioinformatic tools, cutting-edge molecular approaches, and advanced microscopy techniques. Additional undergraduate students, including non-science majors, will engage in international travel and research through a new course-based undergraduate research experience. Public facing educational materials about harvestmen and other arachnids will be developed, in English and Spanish, for distribution on social media and in communities where field work takes place. The global dimensions of this project will advance public scientific literacy and build strong collaborations within a global network of arachnologists.Researchers will construct a phylogenomic framework based on UCEs (ultraconserved elements) for two clades of Neotropical harvestmen. A robust taxon sample will be assembled by leveraging the taxonomic and geographic strengths of several natural history museum collections combined with field expeditions. The phylogenomic framework will be used to test biogeographic hypotheses, investigate patterns of richness and diversification, and facilitate a modern integrative approach to systematics. Estimating time-calibrated phylogenies and testing biogeographic hypotheses will elucidate the relative role of vicariance and dispersal in producing present-day species distributions in Central America and the Caribbean Islands. Spatial, clade-based, and trait-based patterns of species richness will be explored by comparing the timing and tempo of diversification between multiple lineages in different landscapes (islands and continents). A modern integrative approach to harvestmen systematics will use phylogenetically informative characters to delimit taxa and will contribute to the inventory of global biodiversity. The phylogenomic framework represents a transformative step towards advancing knowledge of harvestmen ecology and evolution and will enable future studies to address species- or clade-specific questions. Curation of citizen science data in iNaturalist and digitization of types and vouchers in museum collections will improve publicly accessible databases. Ultimately, this project will advance our understanding of the diversity of life and provide novel insight into the origins and diversification of a fascinating group of Neotropical arachnids.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

了解产生生物多样性的过程并解释地球上物种的分布是进化史和生物地理学研究的基本目标。蜘蛛目 Opiliones 被称为收割者或长腿爸爸，为了解影响物种分布的因素提供了一个强大的模型。该项目将增进我们对与复杂的地质和气候历史相关的进化过程如何塑造物种多样性的科学认识。该研究将重点关注中美洲和加勒比群岛的收割者。新物种的发现将促进关键栖息地的保护工作，并教育公众有关生物多样性科学的知识。一名博士后研究员和许多本科生将参与指导研究。他们将接受培训，使用强大的生物信息学工具、尖端分子方法和先进的显微镜技术。其他本科生，包括非科学专业的学生，​​将通过基于课程的新本科研究体验来参与国际旅行和研究。将开发面向公众的关于收割者和其他蜘蛛类动物的英语和西班牙语教育材料，以便在社交媒体和进行实地工作的社区中分发。该项目的全球规模将提高公众的科学素养，并在全球蜘蛛学家网络内建立强有力的合作。研究人员将为新热带收获者的两个分支构建基于UCE（超保守元素）的系统发育框架。将利用多个自然历史博物馆藏品的分类学和地理优势并结合实地考察来收集强大的分类单元样本。系统发育框架将用于测试生物地理学假设，研究丰富性和多样化的模式，并促进现代综合系统学方法。估计时间校准的系统发育和测试生物地理学假设将阐明变异和扩散在中美洲和加勒比群岛当今物种分布中的相对作用。通过比较不同景观（岛屿和大陆）中多个谱系之间多样化的时间和节奏，将探索物种丰富度的空间、基于进化枝和基于性状的模式。收获者系统学的现代综合方法将利用系统发育信息特征来界定分类群，并将有助于全球生物多样性的清查。系统发育框架代表了推进收割者生态学和进化知识的变革性一步，并使未来的研究能够解决特定于物种或分支的问题。 iNaturalist 中公民科学数据的管理以及博物馆藏品中类型和凭证的数字化将改善可公开访问的数据库。最终，该项目将增进我们对生命多样性的理解，并为新热带蜘蛛类动物的起源和多样化提供新颖的见解。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值进行评估，被认为值得支持以及更广泛的影响审查标准。