Comparative and Evolutionary Morphology of Isopod Crustacean Genitalia

等足类甲壳类是从陆地栖息地到深海的一类多样化的、具有重要生态意义的节肢动物。它们构成了甲壳动物谱系中一个早期而成功的进化分支。斯克里普斯海洋研究所的乔治·威尔逊博士提出了一项关于等足类主要类群之间进化关系的研究。所有等足亚目的代表性物种将被取样进行组织切片、光镜和电子显微镜检查。生殖器解剖和形态将为进化关系的分析提供大部分数据。拟议的研究将为等足目甲壳类动物建立一个进化框架，从而创建一个可在其上建立其他研究项目的平台。作为这一项目的结果，未来对等足目动物的形态、功能、发育和生物地理的研究将放在进化的背景下进行，为甲壳类动物的历史和进化过程本身提供新的见解。

Isopod crustaceans are a diverse and ecologically important group of arthropods that range from terrestrial habitats to the deep sea. They constitute an early and successful evolutionary branch of the crustacean family tree. Dr. George Wilson of the Scripps Institute of Oceanography proposes a study of the evolutionary relationships among the major groups of isopods. Representative species from all isopod suborders will be sampled for histological sectioning, light, and electron microscopy. Genitalic anatomy and morphology will provide most of the data for an analysis of evolutionary relationships. The proposed research will establish an evolutionary framework for the isopod crustaceans, thereby creating a platform on which other research projects can be built. As a result of this project, future studies of the form, function, development and biogeography of isopods will be set in an evolutionary context, providing new insight into the history of crustaceans and the process of evolution itself.