PEET: Collaborative Research: Monographic Studies of the Hydractinioidea

PEET：合作研究：Hydractinioidea 的专题研究

• 批准号: 9978131
• 负责人: Clifford Cunningham
• 金额: $ 55.35万
• 依托单位: Duke University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 1999
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1999-10-01 至 2005-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9978131&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: PEET; Collaborative; Research; Monographic; Studies

9978131Cunningham Coral reefs are among the most biologically diverse and ecologically intricate environments on earth, yet our knowledge of the organisms that constitute the reefs and inhabit their niches is fragmentary. For one major group of marine organisms often associated with reefs, the cnidarian class Hydrozoa, collaborating scientists Stephen Cairns at the Smithsonian Institution and Clifford Cunningham at Duke University are conducting monographic research while training new experts in hydrozoan taxonomy and compiling web accessible databases of information on these animals. The focal taxa are the families Campanularidae, Hydractiniidae and Stylasteridae (or hydrocorals), three morphologically distinct groups of Hydrozoa with worldwide distributions that appear to constitute phylogenetically sister taxa, on the basis of recent DNA sequence evidence. Although the freshwater Hydra is well-known since Leeuwenhoek's classic description, and is extensively used in modern cell biology research, it is atypical in lacking the medusa or swimming stage characteristic of most marine forms. These forms usually have an attached or polyp stage as well as a swimming or pelagic medusa stage as part of the life cycle; so different are the two stages in some groups that different nomenclatures have been created over the years, often for the same species. One of the goals of the research is to reconcile this dual taxonomy, in part by using mitochondrial DNA sequences as markers or signatures of species relatedness. With a sound phylogenetic classification in place, questions about biogeographic distribution, evolutionary origins, and tempo of diversification can be profitably pursued. The investigators are collaborating with colleagues in Canada (Dale Calder at the Royal Ontario Museum) and Italy (Ferdinando Boero at the University of Lecce) and others in studying museum specimens, culturing live organisms, adding new material from field expeditions, and training new experts in the taxonomy of these organisms. Students will participate fully in the field expeditions and museum visits as part of their overall training program in hydrozoan systematics. Morphological and molecular evidence will be integrated into the monographic studies, with new morphological characters from electron microscopy of nematocysts and other structures, and new molecular evidence from nuclear and mitochondrial ribosomal genes. In particular, Duke University is hosting a Hydrozoan Sequencing Facility, which will provide DNA sequence data from properly prepared collections, for purposes of identifying hydrozoans, placing them with evolutionary relatives, and tracking links between polyp and medusa stages in life cycle studies. Duke will also host the databasing component of the project, incorporating the new molecular data and providing links to Boero's electronic file of 12,000 taxonomic references and to other information resources.

珊瑚礁是地球上生物多样性和生态环境最复杂的地方之一，然而，我们对构成珊瑚礁和栖息在珊瑚礁生态位的生物的认识是零碎的。史密森学会（Smithsonian Institution）的斯蒂芬•凯恩斯（Stephen Cairns）和杜克大学（Duke University）的克利福德•坎宁安（Clifford Cunningham）正在对一种通常与珊瑚礁有关的主要海洋生物——刺虫纲的水螅虫进行专题研究，同时培训水螅虫分类方面的新专家，并编制这些动物信息的网络数据库。根据最近的DNA序列证据，重点分类群是水珊瑚科、水螅科和针藻科（或水珊瑚），这三个形态上不同的水螅类群分布在世界各地，似乎构成了系统发育上的姐妹类群。尽管淡水九头蛇自列文虎克的经典描述以来就为人们所熟知，并广泛用于现代细胞生物学研究，但它缺乏大多数海洋生物所特有的水母或游泳阶段。作为生命周期的一部分，这些形式通常有附着或水螅阶段以及游泳或远洋水母阶段；在一些种群中，这两个阶段是如此不同，以至于多年来为同一物种创造了不同的命名法。这项研究的目标之一是调和这种双重分类，部分是通过使用线粒体DNA序列作为物种亲缘关系的标记或标志。有了健全的系统发育分类，有关生物地理分布、进化起源和多样化速度的问题就可以得到有益的研究。研究人员正在与加拿大（皇家安大略博物馆的Dale Calder）和意大利（莱切大学的Ferdinando Boero）的同事和其他人合作，研究博物馆标本，培养活生物体，增加实地考察的新材料，并培训这些生物体分类的新专家。学生将充分参与实地考察和博物馆参观，作为他们在水生动物系统学的整体培训计划的一部分。形态学和分子证据将整合到专题研究中，从线虫囊和其他结构的电子显微镜中获得新的形态学特征，从核和线粒体核糖体基因中获得新的分子证据。特别是，杜克大学正在主持一个水生动物测序设施，该设施将从适当准备的收集中提供DNA序列数据，用于识别水生动物，将它们与进化亲属进行比较，并在生命周期研究中跟踪水螅和水母阶段之间的联系。杜克大学还将主持该项目的数据库部分，整合新的分子数据，并提供到Boero的12,000个分类参考和其他信息资源的电子文件的链接。