Collaborative Research: Biodiversity, Phylogeny and Biogeography of Hornworts

作为现存最古老的陆生生物组合之一，角苔对了解早期陆地植物的生存和多样化至关重要。角苔在世界范围内分布着大约150种，是一种很小、不显眼的植物，即使是植物学家也不太了解。这些植物展现出独特而创新的方式来应对它们在陆地上的生存，包括将所有脆弱的器官安置在营养组织中充满粘液的腔中。细胞的有趣特征包括一个独立的叶绿体（光合细胞器），其结构让人想起藻类细胞。对这些特征的详细研究将更充分地阐明藻类从水中过渡到陆地并最终产生陆地植物时所发生的变化。尽管角苔具有重要的进化意义和独特的特征，但它是少数几个尚未进行全面科学研究的主要植物群之一。对角worts的首次研究将从全球视角提供该群体的系统发育和生物多样性的肖像。由阿克伦大学的Robert Duff博士和南伊利诺伊大学的Karen Renzaglia博士领导的一个国际专家小组将从多个地理区域收集角蒿的遗传和结构多样性信息。目标是：1)通过生成和分析多个数据集，建立一个可靠的角苔系统发育；2)根据系统发育分析建立的关系，重新分类；3)重建全球角苔植物多样化的格局，特别是在澳大利亚大陆。该项目将极大地扩展这一分布广泛但在进化上意义重大的植物群的知识，并将探索与生物多样性和生物复杂性有关的更多全球问题。该项目将对主要研究机构、社区和其他地方的教育基础设施产生影响。两所私立学校都致力于为小学、高中、本科生和研究生提供丰富和支持性的教育体验。参与该项目的学生将经历广泛的专业活动，并将参与研究企业的各个方面。重点将放在吸引和指导来自代表性不足群体的学生。该计划的国际组成部分将为学生提供资源和机会，探索与来自不同文化和背景的学生和科学家的合作。通过介绍、出版物和专门为该计划建立的网站传播数据，将使国际科学界和一般公众对角苔生物学的认识得到扩大。随着这些微小的古老植物的栖息地受到越来越多的威胁，这项研究的结果将为保护和环境管理决策提供有价值的信息。

0235985RenzagliaAs one of the oldest living assemblages of terrestrial organisms, the hornworts are crucial to understanding the survival and diversification of early plants on land. With a worldwide distribution of approximately 150 species, the hornworts are tiny, inconspicuous plants that are poorly known, even by botanists. These plants exhibit unique and innovative means of coping with their existence on land, including positioning all vulnerable organs in mucilage-filled cavities that are nested within vegetative tissue. Intriguing features of the cell include a solitary chloroplast (photosynthetic organelle) that has an architecture reminiscent of algal cells. Detailed examination of such features will clarify more fully the changes that occurred when algae made the transition from water to land and ultimately gave rise to land plants. Despite their evolutionary importance and peculiar features, hornworts are among the few major groups of plants for which a comprehensive scientific study has yet to be conducted. This first examination of hornworts will provide a portrait of the phylogeny and biodiversity of the group from a global perspective. Information on genetic and structural diversity will be accumulated for hornworts collected from multiple geographic regions by an international assemblage of experts on these plants, headed by Dr. Robert Duff at University of Akron and Dr. Karen Renzaglia at Southern Illinois University. The goals are to: 1) establish a robust phylogeny of hornworts by generating and analyzing multiple data sets; 2) produce a revised classification based on the relationships established by the phylogenetic analyses; and 3) reconstruct global patterns of hornwort diversification and especially among the Australasian landmasses. The program will greatly expand knowledge of this widespread but relatively obscure group of evolutionarily significant plants, and will also explore more global issues relating to biological diversification and biocomplexity. This project will have an impact on the infrastructure of education within the principal investigators' institutions, communities and beyond. Both PIs have demonstrated a strong commitment to providing enriching and supportive educational experiences for elementary, high school, undergraduate and graduate students. Students involved in the project will experience a wide range of professional activities and will be involved in all aspects of the research enterprise. Emphasis will be placed on attracting and mentoring students from underrepresented groups. The international component of this proposed program will provide the resources and opportunities for students to explore collaboration with students and scientists from a diversity of cultures and backgrounds. By the dissemination of data through presentations, publications and a Web site dedicated to the program, awareness of hornwort biology will be extended to the international scientific community as well as the general public. The results of this study will be valuable for informing decisions on conservation and environmental management as the habitats of these tiny ancient plants become increasingly threatened.