A Phylogenetic Analysis of Miconieae (Melastomataceae) Based on Molecular and Morphological Characters.

木樨科是一个大的植物科，约有160属5000种。该科的成员很容易通过其典型的叶与近平行的次脉（顶体脉序），和多孔和弯曲的花药（膝曲）识别。该科中超过40%的物种属于Miconieae族，这是一组30属的肉质果实，仅在新世界热带地区发现。在新热带森林中，Miconiaceae是五个最多样化的科之一，Miconieae是森林林下植被的主要成分。Miconieae的物种在这些环境中的食果鸟类和一些哺乳动物的饮食中起着重要的作用。此外，夏威夷和其他太平洋岛屿上最著名的两种杂草也属于这一类别：科斯特的诅咒（Clidemia hirta）和天鹅绒树（Miconia calvescens）。尽管如此，对该类群中属间的亲缘关系、界限和亲缘关系的了解仍然很少。该项目将利用所有三个基因组（细胞核、叶绿体和叶绿体）的DNA序列和形态学数据评估Miconieae内的进化关系。形态学数据将采用标本法直接从植物标本馆、液体保存标本和活标本中编码收集。总的来说，我们预计将包括部落中所有属的所有物种的五分之一。由此产生的系统发育分析将是性状进化研究（如a-蚂蚁的起源; b-花序位置）和植物地理学研究（如加勒比植物群和植物地理学的起源）的基础。形态学数据（沿着其他诊断特征）将用于制作Miconieae属和选定属中物种的交互式网络检索表。最后，我们的研究结果将被用来作为通用的重新排列的基础上，导致一个新的部落内分类系统。本研究将在教育、国内和国际合作、加强代表性不足群体的参与以及传播知识方面产生广泛影响。两名博士候选人将密切参与这里提出的研究，并与当地科学家在不同的国家访问的直接互动将有助于增加他们的系统理论和实践的知识，特别是在植物标本馆和大学，在这些学科的研究生培训是不可用的。PI和合作者来自美国，欧洲和拉丁美洲的各种机构（博物馆，大型大学和文科学院）。由于缺乏部落中较大属的专著和当地专家来识别标本，交互式检索表对生态学家、保护生物学家和当地科学家将非常有用。在本研究过程中进行的收集将有助于增加当地标本馆，NYBG和FMNH的收藏。收集的数据、照片和其他信息将通过互联网提供。最后，PI，Fabian Michelangeli，是一位年轻的西班牙裔科学家（他将与Walter Judd，联合PI和Renato Goldenberg来自巴西的联合PI合作），通过这项研究获得的知识将提高代表性不足的少数民族对科学的参与。

Melastomataceae is a large plant family with approximately 5000 species in about 160 genera. Members of the family are easily recognizable by their typical leaves with sub-parallel secondary veins (acrodomal venation), and porose and flexed anthers (geniculate). Over 40% of the species in the family belong to the tribe Miconieae, a group of 30 genera with fleshy fruits found exclusively in the New World tropics. In Neotropical forests the Melastomataceae are among the five most diverse families and representatives of the tribe Miconieae are a dominant element in the forest understory. Species of Miconieae play an important role in the diet of frugivorous birds and some mammals in these environments. Moreover, two of the most notable weeds in Hawaii and other Pacific islands belong to this group: Koster's curse (Clidemia hirta) and velvet tree (Miconia calvescens). In spite of all of this, the relationships among species of the Miconieae, and the limits and relationships within genera in this group are poorly understood. This project will assess the evolutionary relationships within the Miconieae with the use of DNA sequences from all three genomes (nucleus, chloroplast and mitochondrion) and morphological data. The morphological data will be gathered using an exemplar species approach coding directly from herbarium, liquid-preserved and live specimens. In total, we expect to include about one fifth of all species from all genera in the tribe. The resulting phylogenetic analyses will be the foundation of character evolution studies (e.g. a-origin of ant-domatia; b-inflorescence position) and biogeographical studies (e.g. origin of Caribbean flora and biogeography). Morphological data (along with other diagnostic characters) will be used to produce interactive web-based keys to the genera of Miconieae, and to species in selected genera. Lastly, our results will be used as the basis of generic realignments, leading to a new intratribal classification system. The present study will have broad impacts in education, domestic and international collaborations, enhancement of participation of underrepresented groups, and dissemination of knowledge. Two doctoral candidates will be intimately involved in the research here proposed, and direct interaction with local scientists at the different countries to be visited will help to increase their knowledge of systematic theory and practices, especially in herbaria and universities where graduate training in these disciplines is not available. The PIs and collaborators come from a variety of institutions, (museums, large universities, and liberal art colleges) from the US, Europe and Latin America. Because of a lack of monographs for the larger genera in the tribe and local experts to identify specimens, the interactive keys will be extremely useful for ecologists, conservation biologists and local scientists. Collections made during the course of this study will help to increase the collections of local herbaria, the NYBG, and FMNH. Collection data, photographs and other information will be available through the internet. Finally, the PI, Fabian Michelangeli, is a young Hispanic scientist (who will collaborate with Walter Judd, co-PI, and Renato Goldenberg co-PI from Brazil) and knowledge gained through this study will enhance the participation of underrepresented minorities in science.