Systematics of the Determinate, One-flowered Genera of the Woody Bamboos (Poaceae: Bambusoideae: Bambuseae)

真正的竹子是一种分布在世界各地的多样化的草类，包括至少1200种木本和草本（非木本）成员。竹子的多样性主要集中在木本竹中，其中包括1100种，是热带和温带森林的特征元素。由于其结构复杂，生长间隔长（在某些情况下为40、60或80年或更长时间），与其他禾本科植物相比，木本竹的研究仍然不足。分子数据为木本竹的进化关系提供了一些线索，但相对于其他禾本科植物，木本竹的突变率明显较慢，这阻碍了对木本竹进行更详细的分析。现有的解剖数据和竹子的整个植物结构提供了木本竹祖先的迹象，这与分子数据相冲突。本研究的主要目的是通过进行详细的结构分析来检验这种冲突，从而更好地估计进化关系。作为这项研究的一部分，将完成对木本竹亚群中最多样化的属Chusquea最原始成员的分类研究。该项目的研究结果将为木本竹的进化研究和重新分类提供基础。

Clark DEB-9806877 The true bamboos are a diverse group of grasses with worldwide distribution, including at least 1,200 species of both woody and herbaceous (non-woody) members. The bulk of bamboo diversity is found among the woody bamboos, which includes 1,100 species occurring as characteristic elements of both tropical and temperate forests. Due to their structural complexity and long intervals of growth without flowering (40, 60, or 80 or more years in some cases), the woody bamboos remain understudied compared to other grasses. Molecular data have provided some clues to evolutionary relationships among woody bamboos, but an apparently slower rate of mutation relative to other grasses has prevented more detailed analyses of this group. Available data for anatomy and whole plant structure of bamboos provide indications of ancestry among woody bamboos that conflict with those derived from molecular data. The principal objective of this research is to examine this conflict in the determinate, one-flowered woody bamboos by conducting detailed structural analyses to obtain a better estimate of evolutionary relationships. As part of this research, a taxonomic study of the most primitive members of Chusquea, the most diverse genus of this subset of woody bamboos, will be completed. The results of this project will provide the foundation for a broader evolutionary study and reclassification of the woody bamboos.