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，主要分布在非洲南部/东部和马达加斯加。寄生于禾草或栽培豆科植物的一种蚜。在开花植物中存在两种类型的寄生（半寄生和全寄生），在Alectra中这两种类型都是已知的；这种情况是独特的，允许检查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，失去绿色色素和叶子，而半寄生则保留绿叶，只从它们的“寄主”植物那里获取水分和营养。彻底检查花，茎和叶的特征，结合DNA序列，将用于检查这一群体的进化史。此外，由于Alectra属于一个完全寄生的植物家族，参与光合作用（食物生产）途径的基因进化将被用于研究该家族中完全寄生成员的降解。该项目涉及与南部/东部非洲国家和马达加斯加的科学家和研究人员合作。所有参与的各方都将学习保护稀有和受威胁的栖息地以及其中的植物的实际方面。二分类键、物种描述和插图的制作将有助于识别野生稀有的Alectra物种，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.