Collaborative Research: Biodiversity, Phylogeny and Biogeography of Hornworts

0235985Renzagaria作为陆地生物中最古老的生物组合之一，角藻对于了解陆地上早期植物的生存和多样性至关重要。全球分布着大约150个物种，金鱼藻是一种微小的、不起眼的植物，即使是植物学家也鲜为人知。这些植物展示了独特和创新的方法来应对它们在陆地上的存在，包括将所有脆弱的器官定位在嵌套在营养组织中的粘液填充的腔中。该细胞的耐人寻味的特征包括一个孤立的叶绿体(光合细胞器)，它的结构让人想起藻类细胞。对这些特征的详细研究将更全面地阐明当藻类从水过渡到陆地并最终形成陆地植物时发生的变化。尽管它们在进化上具有重要意义和独特的特征，但它是为数不多的几个尚未进行全面科学研究的主要植物类别之一。这项对角藻的首次研究将从全球角度提供该群体的系统发育和生物多样性的肖像。由阿克伦大学的罗伯特·达夫博士和南伊利诺伊大学的卡伦·伦扎格里亚博士领导的一个国际专家小组将收集来自多个地理区域的角藻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，建立一个可靠的角藻系统发育；2)根据系统发育分析所建立的关系，修订分类；以及3)重建角藻多样性的全球模式，特别是在澳大拉西亚大陆之间。该计划将极大地扩大对这一广泛但相对鲜为人知的进化重要植物群体的了解，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。该项目将对主要调查机构、社区和其他方面的教育基础设施产生影响。这两家个人投资机构都表现出了坚定的承诺，为小学、高中、本科生和研究生提供丰富和支持性的教育经验。参与该项目的学生将体验广泛的专业活动，并将参与到研究企业的方方面面。重点将放在吸引和指导来自代表性不足群体的学生上。这一拟议项目的国际部分将为学生提供资源和机会，让他们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、出版物和专门介绍该计划的网站来传播数据，将使国际科学界以及普通公众对角藻生物学的认识得到扩大。随着这些微小的古代植物的栖息地受到越来越大的威胁，这项研究的结果将对保护和环境管理决策具有参考价值。

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.