Systematics of an Ancient North American Lineage of Robinieae (Leguminosae)

这项研究的目的是修订目前被提及的15个种，包括雷尼亚目、海波斯亚科、格利西亚亚科和丝兰亚科。这将稳定这一部族的属分类，并更好地估计这些物种在其中的系统发育地位。这些物种构成了北美干燥热带雨林的一个独特元素；然而，有两个物种出现在热带雨林，一个出现在南美洲。这些物种的经济用途很多，包括木材的建筑材料、丰富的树叶生产的牲畜饲料，以及农田和私人住宅周围的“活”栅栏。这项研究的最终结果将是一本总结每个物种的分类、系统发育、地理分布和经济价值的专著。对叶绿体基因组中具有分类学信息的限制酶切点突变的分析将与经典的分类学方法相结合。进一步评估这些物种在蝗亚族中的系统发育地位是很重要的，因为加深对蝗亚科系统发育关系的了解将影响我们对北美热带植物区系的起源和生物地理的了解。Robinieae是北美洲热带和亚热带地区最大的凤蝶族部落之一。目前的证据表明，它可能来自古新世或始新世的亚洲祖先，而不是最近的南美洲祖先。对以北美热带为中心的其他植物群进行这样的系统发育研究，将对了解这种生物群的起源至关重要。

The objective of this study is the revision of the fifteen species currently referred to Lennea, Hybosema, Gliricidia, and Yucaratonia. This will stabilize the generic classification of this portion of the tribe Robinieae and better estimate the phylogenetic position of these species within it. These species form a distinctive element of the dry tropical forests in North America; however, two species occur in tropical rain forest and one occurs in South America. Economic uses of these species are many and include construction materials from the wood, livestock fodder from the copious leaf production, and "living" fences around agricultural fields and private dwellings. The culmination of this study will be a monograph summarizing the classification, phylogeny, geographic distribution, and economic value of each species. An analysis of taxonomically informative restriction site mutations from the chloroplast genome will be combined with classical taxonomic methods. Further assessing the phylogenetic position of these species in the tribe Robinieae is important because an increased understanding of the phylogenetic relationships within Robinieae will have a bearing on our knowledge of the origins and biogeography of the North American tropical flora. Robinieae is one of the largest papilionoid tribes well represented in tropical and subtropical North America. Current evidence suggests it may have been derived from Asiatic ancestors during the Paleocene or Eocene rather than from South American ancestors in more recent times. Such phylogenetic studies of other plant groups centered in the North American tropics will be essential for understanding the origins of this biota.