Systematics and Evolution of Barnacles

自从达尔文及其前辈的开创性研究以来，关于世界上藤壶之间的进化关系提出了多种假说。然而，由于与这一最有趣的甲壳类动物相关的奇怪和多样化的形态，辨别进化关系特别困难。此外，大多数现代的尝试都受到了物种多样性采样不佳的阻碍。这项国际合作研究将通过对多个基因区域的DNA测序来研究来自世界各地的大量藤壶物种，以推断主要藤壶种群之间的进化关系。该项目将使用最先进的自动测序技术和超级计算机应用程序来评估样本物种之间的谱系关系。由此产生的谱系关系将用于探索藤壶之间生物多样性的生物地理模式。这些生物地理模式允许对多样性模式进行全球推断(海洋动物总体上明显不存在)，从而为全球养护决策提供信息。这些成果将通过生命之树网络项目(tolweb.org--也得到国家科学基金会的支持)向公众传播。这项研究代表着一项强有力的全球合作，来自美国、丹麦和澳大利亚的联合首席研究人员以及来自巴西、俄罗斯和西班牙等许多其他国家的合作者，将甲壳类分子系统学方面的领先专业知识与藤壶形态相结合。该项目还将通过研究经验和实验室人员交流，为本科生、高中教师、研究生、博士后和国际教师提供教育/培训机会。

Since the seminal studies of Darwin and predecessors, multiple hypotheses have been proposed concerning evolutionary relationships among the barnacles of the world. However, because of the strange and diverse morphologies associated with this most interesting group of crustaceans, discerning evolutionary relationships has been particularly difficult. Furthermore, most modern attempts have been hampered by poor sampling of species diversity. This international collaborative study will examine a broad array of barnacle species from around the world by sequencing DNA from multiple gene regions to infer evolutionary relationships among the major groups of barnacles. The project will use state-of-the-art automated sequencing techniques combined with supercomputing applications for estimating genealogical relationships among the species sampled.The resulting genealogical relationships will then be used to explore biogeographic patterns of biodiversity among the barnacles. These biogeographic patterns allow global inferences of patterns of diversity (conspicuously absent for marine fauna in general) thus informing global conservation decisions. These results will be disseminated to the public through the Tree of Life web project (tolweb.org - also supported by NSF). This research represents a strong global collaboration, with co-Principal Investigators from the US, Denmark, and Australia and collaborators from many other countries including Brazil, Russia, and Spain, combining leading expertise in crustacean molecular systematics with barnacle morphology. This project will also provide educational/training opportunities for undergraduates, high school teachers, graduate students, post-docs, and international faculty through research experiences and lab exchanges of personnel.