PEET: Phylogenetic Systematics of Nudibranchia

摘要- DEB 0329054 A基金已授予特伦斯M博士。加州科学院的Gosliner和洛杉矶县自然历史博物馆的Angel Valdes研究裸鳃类软体动物的系统学和生殖发育。裸鳃类软体动物是研究神经系统功能的生物医学重要生物，也是开发新药物产品以对抗癌症和艾滋病毒等疾病的重点。 它们也是温带和热带生态系统生物多样性的重要指标。 与许多生物一样，对这一群体的分类和进化关系缺乏基本的了解。 在世界上的许多地方，至少有一半的裸鳃类动物尚未被分类，还有更多的物种尚未被发现。 与此同时，缺乏训练有素的专家来完成这项重要的系统工作。该项目的重点是培养新的工作人员成为专业的系统生物学家来研究这些生物。这些学员将接受指导，学习尖端技术，研究裸鳃类的分类和进化，使用详细的解剖调查和DNA测序。 这些研究将集中在需要进行重大系统修订和专题研究的裸鳃类，目标是拥有大量未描述物种的群体。 每个学生将进行一个独特的组裸鳃类的专题研究，并在领先的科学期刊上发表他们的调查结果。 此外，这些研究的结果将通过万维网和实地指南等其他大众出版物广泛传播给不同的受众。 已经有相当大的业余兴趣，这些生物体从水肺潜水员，水下摄影师和博物学家和更多的流行作品的需求量很大。

Abstract - DEB 0329054A grant has been awarded to Dr. Terrence M. Gosliner of the California Academy ofSciences and Angel Valdes of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County to study the systematics and phylogeny of nudibranch mollusks. Nudibranch mollusks are biomedically important organisms in the study of the functioning of nervous systems and are the focus of the development of new pharmaceutical products to combat diseases such as cancers and HIV. They are also important indicators of biodiversity in temperate and tropical ecosystems. As with many organisms there is a fundamental lack of understanding of their classification and evolutionary relationships of this group. In many parts of the world at least half of the nudibranchs have not been classified and many more species are yet to be discovered. Simultaneously, there is a lack of trained experts who can complete this critical systematic work. The focus of this project is to train new workers to become professional systematic biologists to study these organisms. These trainees will be mentored to learn cutting edge techniques to study the classification and evolution of nudibranchs, using both detailed anatomical investigation and DNA sequencing. These studies will focus on nudibranchs in need of major systematic revision and monographic study, targeted to groups that have large numbers of undescribed species. Each student will conduct a monographic study of a distinct group of nudibranchs and publish the results of their investigation in leading scientific journals. Additionally, the results of these studies will be widely disseminated to diverse audiences by means of the world-wide web and other popular publications such as field guides. There is already considerable amateur interest in these organisms from scuba divers, underwater photographers and naturalists and additional popular works are much in demand.