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

Alectra是一组大约30种草本植物寄生植物，主要分布在非洲南部/东部和马达加斯加。Alectra的物种寄生在牧草或栽培的豆类上。开花植物中存在两种类型的寄生(半寄生和完全寄生)，在Alectra中这两种类型都是已知的；这种情况是独特的，并允许检查这两种习性之间的进化转变。完全寄生导致植物不再生产自己的食物，失去它们的绿色色素和叶子，而半寄生虫则保留绿色的叶子，只从它们的“宿主”植物中获取水分和营养。彻底检查花、茎和叶的特征，结合DNA序列，将被用来研究这一群体的进化史。此外，由于Alectra属于一个完全寄生的植物家族，将检查参与光合作用(食物生产)途径的基因的进化在该家族完全寄生的成员中的降解情况。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。所有有关各方都将了解保护稀有和受威胁的栖息地及其内部植物的实际方面。制作二分检索表、物种描述和插图将有助于识别野生稀有Alectra物种，这些信息将通过万维网向公众开放，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.