Doctoral Dissertation: Phylogenetic Relationships within Alectra (Orobanchaceae) and Evolution of rbcS in Orobanchaceae

Alectra 是一组约 30 种草本寄生植物，主要​​分布在南部/东部非洲和马达加斯加。 Alectra 的物种寄生于草或栽培的豆科植物。开花植物内存在两种类型的寄生（半寄生和全寄生），并且在 Alectra 中这两种类型都是已知的；这种情况是独一无二的，可以研究这两种习惯之间的进化转变。完全寄生导致植物不再生产自己的食物并失去绿色色素和叶子，而半寄生则保留绿色叶子，只从“寄主”植物获取水分和养分。对花、茎和叶特征的彻底检查，结合 DNA 序列，将被用来研究该群体的进化历史。此外，由于 Alectra 属于完全寄生植物家族，因此将检查参与光合作用（生产食物）途径的基因的进化是否在该家族的完全寄生成员中降解。该项目涉及与南部/东部非洲和马达加斯加国家的科学家和研究人员的合作。所有相关各方都将了解保护稀有和受威胁栖息地及其植物的实际问题。二分键、物种描述和插图的制作将有助于识别野生的稀有 Alectra 物种，并且这些信息将通过万维网向公众提供，使当地管理当局和保护机构更容易保护它们。

Alectra is a group of around 30 species of herbaceous parasitic plants that occur primarily in southern/eastern Africa and Madagascar. Species of Alectra parasitize grasses or cultivated legumes. Two types of parasitism exist within flowering plants (semi- and full-parasitism), and within Alectra both types are known; this situation is unique and allows for an examination of the evolutionary shift between the two habits. Full parasitism results in plants no longer producing their own food and losing their green pigmentation and leaves, while semi-parasites retain green leaves and only obtain water and nutrients from their "host" plant. Thorough examination of floral, stem and leaf characteristics, in combination with DNA sequences, will be utilized to examine the evolutionary history of this group. Additionally, as Alectra belongs to a completely parasitic family of plants, the evolution of genes involved in the photosynthetic (food-producing) pathway will be examined for degradation in the fully parasitic members of this family.This project involves collaborations with scientists and researchers in countries within southern/eastern Africa and Madagascar. All parties involved will learn about the practical aspects of conserving rare and threatened habitats and the plants within them. The production of dichotomous keys, species descriptions and illustrations will facilitate identification of rare Alectra species in the wild, and this information will be available to the public via the World Wide Web, making it easier for local management authorities and conservation agencies to protect them.