CAA: Molecular Taxonomy of the Clownfish Sea Anemones

Fautin博士将在堪萨斯大学Deborah Smith博士的实验室学习分子系统发育的现代方法，包括线粒体DNA的限制性内切酶分析和核苷酸测序。这项工作的重点是选定的海葵的系统发育和分类，包括那些与小丑鱼共生的海葵和一些内部含有藻类的海葵。将比较几种海葵的线粒体DNA突变，并用于重建这些海洋动物之间的系统发育关系。分子数据将与传统形态特征相结合，用于区分海葵的种属。一个长期目标是比较海葵与共生鱼类的物种分化模式，以及与共生藻类的物种分化模式，以探索共同进化变化的机制。共生是一种具有生物学挑战性的现象，包括海葵与其内部（藻类）和外部伙伴（小丑鱼或海葵鱼）之间的共生。Fautin博士正在为海葵的传统形态学知识添加新的分子数据（DNA突变），以改进这些海洋生物的分类学，并探索世界范围内几个属之间的系统发育关系模式。一个强有力的海葵系统发育将允许研究与这些迷人生物相关的藻类和鱼类的共同进化分化模式。

In a career advancement award Dr. Fautin will learn modern methods of molecular phylogenetics, including restriction endonuclease analyses of mitochondrial DNA and nucleotide sequencing in the laboratory of Dr. Deborah Smith at the University of Kansas. The focus of the work is on the phylogeny and taxonomy of selected sea anemones, including those that are symbiotic with clownfishes and some that harbor algae internally. Mitochondrial DNA mutations among the several species of sea anemones will be compared and used for the reconstruction of phylogenetic relationships among these marine animals. Molecular data will be integrated with traditional morphological characters used to distinguish species and genera of anemones. One long term goal is to compare the pattern of species divergences in sea anemones with that for their symbiotic fish associates, on the one hand, and with the associated symbiotic algae on the other, in order to explore mechanisms of coevolutionary change. %%% Symbioses are biologically challenging phenomena, including those between sea anemones and their internal (algae) and external associates (clownfishes or anemonefishes). Dr. Fautin in a career advancement award is adding new molecular data (DNA mutations) to traditional morphological knowledge of sea anemones in order to improve the taxonomy of these marine organisms and to explore patterns of phylogenetic relationship among the several genera worldwide. A robust phylogeny for the sea anemones will then permit study of the pattern of coevolutionary divergence among the algae and fishes associated with these fascinating creatures.