PEET: Phylogenetic Systematics of Nudibranchia

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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.