CRB: Collaborative Research: Evolutionary Genetics of Adaptive Radiation in Tetramolopium

保护生物学的一个主要问题是测量和保存遗传多样性（遗传变异程度），特别是在涉及稀有和濒危物种的情况下。这是因为遗传多样性被认为是维持健康种群和确定自然种群的进化潜力（如新物种进化的潜力）所必需的。本文认为，通过适应性辐射（从单一引进到多种生境的多样化）进化的岛屿植物物种可以为分析一般稀有植物遗传多样性的数量和结构提供模型系统。向日葵科的四足鸦片属为分析稀有物种的遗传多样性提供了独特的机会。该属只出现在太平洋的海洋岛屿上，在新几内亚、夏威夷和库克群岛有不同寻常的分布。夏威夷的11个物种中有10个被认为是稀有和濒危物种。根据现有证据，新几内亚是四甲鸦片进化的源头，后来扩散到其他太平洋岛屿。研究的两个具体目标是：1。评估引入夏威夷的遗传多样性的初始数量，并将其与目前夏威夷物种中发现的遗传多样性进行比较。这将通过使用两种独立的分子技术比较新几内亚物种与夏威夷物种的遗传多样性来完成。2. 确定有多少基因参与了夏威夷物种的适应性辐射过程，并估计这些基因所代表的总基因库的比例。这将是第一个确定和定位控制形态差异的基因数量的非驯化植物物种之一。这项研究的结果将为管理受威胁和濒危植物物种提供宝贵的详细信息。

A major concern of Conservation Biology is the measurement and preservation of genetic diversity (degree of genetic variation) particularly where rare and endangered species are involved. This is so because genetic diversity is recognized as being necessary for maintenance of healthy populations and for determining the evolutionary potential (such as the potential for new species to evolve) of natural populations. It is proposed that island plant species that have evolved through adaptive radiation (diversification into a variety of habitats from a single introduction) can provide the model systems for analysis of the amount and structure of genetic diversity for rare plants in general. The genus Tetramolopium in the Sunflower family presents a unique opportunity to analyze genetic diversity in rare species. The genus occurs only on oceanic islands in the Pacific Ocean and has an unusual distribution among New Guinea, Hawaii, and the cook Islands. Ten of the eleven Hawaiian species are considered rare and endangered. Based on available evidence New Guinea is the source area where Tetramolopium evolved and was ater dispersed to the other Pacific islands. The two specific goals of the research are: 1. To assess the initial amount of genetic diversity that was introduced into Hawaii and compare this value to those found in the present Hawaiian species. This will be accomplished by comparing genetic diversity in New Guinea species to those in Hawaii through use of two independent molecular techniques. 2. To determine how many genes are involved in the process of adaptive radiation in Hawaiian species and estimate the proportion of the total gene pool represented by these genes. This will be one of the first non-domesticated plant species to have the number of genes controlling morphological differences determined and mapped. The results of this research will provide detailed information that will be invaluable for the management of threatened and endangered plant species.