COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: Phylogeny and Generic Classification of the Woody Bamboos (Poaceae: Bambusoideae: Bambuseae).

竹子，约有1,400种，是与世界各地的热带至温带森林有关的禾本科植物的成员。 竹子作为建筑材料和家庭用品（以及许多其他用途）在经济上具有重要意义，并且作为保护受威胁和濒危植物和动物物种的许多残留栖息地的关键组成部分具有生态意义。 尽管这种重要性，竹子的多样性和进化关系（=家谱或亲缘关系）是知之甚少，相对于其他禾本科植物和竹子分类仍然不稳定。 这些问题给生物学家、自然资源保护主义者和那些有兴趣将竹子作为一种可持续资源开发的人带来了困难。 该项目的主要目标是：1）利用DNA数据、竹子的物理结构数据以及创新的分析和统计方法，生成竹子的进化史; 2）构建反映这种进化史的属水平的竹子的稳定分类; 3）利用进化史研究选定特征的进化和生物学（4）建立一个竹类生物多样性的综合网站，提供竹类属的全面图解和交互式识别资源，并使世界各地的用户更容易获得竹类生物多样性的信息。 为了实现这些目标，将建立一个具有互补专长的国际竹子生物学家小组（竹子系统发生小组）。 这种合作努力将大大提高对竹子进化历史和生物多样性的理解。 一个稳定的属级分类将促进关于竹子的交流，并与一个可访问的识别资源相结合，将受到广泛用户的重视，包括生态学家，保护生物学家，林业学家，生物学家，竹子爱好者，建筑师，工程师和其他对开发竹子作为可持续资源感兴趣的人。 研究生和本科生将通过参与该项目的所有阶段，接受植物分类和遗传学构建（系统生物学的重要组成部分）以及DNA操作和生物信息学的当前技术方面的培训。 该项目所产生的分析方法的改进和创新将适用于使用生物信息学或系统发育方法的广泛领域，如发育遗传学，保护遗传学，基因组学和医学研究。现有的博物馆和生活收藏品将通过实地考察得到加强。 研究结果将通过报告、出版物和竹子生物多样性网站向公众和科学界广泛传播。

Bamboos, with about 1,400 described species, are members of the grass family associated with tropical to temperate forests worldwide. Bamboos are economically important as building materials and household items (among many other uses) and are ecologically significant as a key component of many remnant habitats that preserve threatened and endangered plant and animal species. Despite this importance, bamboo diversity and evolutionary relationships (= family tree or phylogeny) are poorly known relative to other grasses and bamboo classification remains unstable. These issues create difficulties for biologists, conservationists, and those interested in developing bamboo as a sustainable resource. The principal goals of this project are to 1) generate a phylogeny for the bamboos using DNA data, data on the physical structure of bamboos, and innovative analytical and statistical methods; 2) construct a stable classification of bamboos at the genus level that reflects this phylogeny; 3) use the phylogeny to study the evolution and biology of selected features (such as vegetative branching) of these unusual grasses; 4) establish an umbrella Web site for bamboo biodiversity to host a comprehensively illustrated and interactive identification resource to the genera of bamboos and to make information on bamboo biodiversity more readily available to users around the world. An international team of bamboo biologists (the Bamboo Phylogeny Group) with complementary expertise will be established to achieve these goals. This collaborative effort will result in a much-improved understanding of the evolutionary history and biodiversity of bamboos. A stable generic classification will facilitate communication about bamboos and in conjunction with an accessible identification resource will be valued by a wide range of users, including ecologists, conservation biologists, foresters, biologists, bamboo enthusiasts, architects, engineers, and others interested in developing bamboo as a sustainable resource. Graduate and undergraduate students will receive training in plant classification and the construction of phylogenies (both important components of systematic biology) as well as current techniques of DNA manipulation and bioinformatics through participation in all phases of the project. Improvements and innovations in analytical methods that result from this project will be applicable to a wide range of fields that use bioinformatics or phylogenetic methods, such as developmental genetics, conservation genetics, genomics, and medical research. Existing museum and living collections will be strengthened through the fieldwork. Results will be widely disseminated to both the general public and the scientific community through presentations, publications, and the Bamboo Biodiversity Web site.