ATOL: Collaborative Research - Assembling the Liverwort Tree of Life: A Window into the Evolution and Diversification of Early Land Plants

ATOL：合作研究 - 组装地钱生命树：了解早期陆地植物进化和多样化的窗口

• 批准号: 0531557
• 负责人: Bernard Goffinet
• 金额: $ 57.31万
• 依托单位: University of Connecticut
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-01-01 至 2012-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0531557&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: ATOL; Collaborative; Research; Assembling; Liverwort

This project aims to resolve the liverwort Tree Of Life. There is mounting evidence that liverworts (Phylum Marchantiophyta) were the first green plants to diversify on land some 500,000 million years ago and as such they are the oldest living lineage of terrestrial organisms. This species-rich group of small green plants is remarkably diverse in structure, and includes extremely ancient relictual lineages as well as more recent radiations of closely related species. The antiquity of liverworts and the rich biodiversity at all taxonomic levels provide an unparalleled window into early land plant diversification. This collaborative effort brings together experts from around the world for a multidisciplinary, highly integrated approach that combines anatomical and developmental features with DNA sequence and genome structural characters to resolve phylogenetic relationships across the entire spectrum of liverwort diversity. Three general types of data will be compiled: 1) conservative morphological and genome characters to resolve deep "backbone" relationships, 2) anatomical/developmental data to resolve intermediate-depth lineages, and 3) morphological and DNA sequence characters to resolve relationships among a sample of 800 taxa representing all genera of liverworts. A second major goal of the project is to integrate phylogenetic inferences and bionformatic efforts between this and other on-going NSF-supported projects, including several funded ATOL programs. These integrative activities include contributions to studies of genome structure and evolution across land plants, expansions of novel informatic tools to make methods, results, and implications widely accessible, and continued development of DNA sequence utilities that will benefit a broad range of scientists working on diverse organisms. This project relies on the cooperation with and integration among research programs focused on resolving the green plant Tree Of Life. Integrative activities are substantive and consequential, and include expansions to phylogenetic databases and methodological/conceptual aspects of work toward resolving the Tree Of Life. At least six post-doctoral associates and as many graduate students will be supported by the project, with substantial involvement of undergraduates as well. An effort to involve and retain individuals from underrepresented groups will be orchestrated through established federal programs that focus on such initiatives, including the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation and the McNair Scholars Program. A solid mentoring infrastructure will be developed within each research team to provide support and professional experiences that ensure productivity and success of all participants. Outreach efforts include web presentations on the morphology and identification of liverworts for educators at all levels, development of web-based materials and a workshop targeting secondary school teachers, and increasing public awareness through weekend field excursions.

该项目旨在解决地钱生命树。 越来越多的证据表明，地钱（地钱门）是第一个绿色植物多样化的土地约500，000万年前，因此，他们是最古老的生活谱系的陆地生物。 这个物种丰富的小型绿色植物群在结构上非常多样化，包括非常古老的遗迹谱系以及最近辐射的密切相关的物种。地钱的古老性和所有分类学水平上丰富的生物多样性为早期陆地植物多样化提供了一个无与伦比的窗口。这项合作努力汇集了来自世界各地的专家，采用多学科，高度集成的方法，将解剖和发育特征与DNA序列和基因组结构特征相结合，以解决整个苔类多样性范围内的系统发育关系。将汇编三种一般类型的数据：1）保守的形态学和基因组特征，以解决深层的“骨干”关系，2）解剖/发育数据，以解决中等深度的谱系，和3）形态和DNA序列特征，以解决代表所有属的苔类的800个分类群的样本之间的关系。 该项目的第二个主要目标是将系统发育推断和生物形态学工作整合到该项目和其他正在进行的NSF支持的项目（包括几个受资助的ATOL项目）之间。这些综合活动包括对陆地植物基因组结构和进化研究的贡献，扩展新的信息工具，使方法，结果和影响广泛可及，并继续开发DNA序列实用程序，这将使广泛的科学家受益于不同的生物体。 该项目依赖于与专注于解决绿色植物生命之树的研究计划之间的合作和整合。综合活动是实质性的和相应的，包括扩展系统发育数据库和方法/概念方面的工作，以解决生命之树。 至少有六名博士后助理和许多研究生将得到该项目的支持，本科生也将大量参与。将通过既定的联邦计划，包括路易斯·斯托克斯少数民族参与联盟和麦克奈尔学者计划，协调参与和留住代表性不足群体的个人。将在每个研究小组内建立坚实的指导基础设施，以提供支持和专业经验，确保所有参与者的生产力和成功。外联工作包括在网上向各级教育工作者介绍地钱的形态和识别，编制网上材料和举办以中学教师为对象的讲习班，以及通过周末实地考察提高公众认识。