Collaborative Research: Systematics and Adaptation of the Thaliacea (Tunicata): A Genetic and Morphological Study

合作研究：海囊纲（Tunicata）的系统学和适应：遗传和形态学研究

• 批准号: 0551419
• 负责人: Laurence Madin
• 金额: $ 23.65万
• 依托单位: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-04-15 至 2012-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0551419&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Systematics; Adaptation; Thaliacea

The Thaliacea is a class of Tunicata comprising three groups of pelagic tunicates, the Pyrosomida, Doliolida and Salpida. All are free-swimming holoplanktonic organisms with complex life histories and prodigious capabilities as filter-feeding herbivores in the plankton. These three orders have worldwide distributions yet together number fewer than 100 described species. In some cases phenotypic variability has confused prior efforts at systematic classification and left open the possibility of cryptic species among many seemingly cosmopolitan forms. Existing classifications and phylogenies are all based on a limited number of morphological characters, which have been inadequate to resolve many questions about relationships at the genus and species level. Preliminary genetic evidence suggests that the Thaliacea are monophyletic within the Tunicata andthat salps, doliolids and pyrosomes are well-constrained monophyletic orders. However relationships below the ordinal are unclear, with some conflicts already arising between classical and molecular trees. Despite their global distribution and apparent ecological significance there arefew scientists today working on any aspect of Thaliacean biology. Partly this may be due to the difficulty for non-specialists in identifying species, particularly as specimens are often damaged in collection. This project brings together two molecular zoologists and one expert in Thaliacean ecology and life history. The research team will seek to reconcile morphological and genetic data to develop a phylogeny for the Thaliacea, based on data from as many of the described species as can be obtained, probably at least 70%. Because these groups are fairly small, this is a feasible goal, and will enable not only a well-supported consensus phylogeny and classification, but also a monographic treatment of the Class that will be useful for species identification by nonexperts. Broader impacts of the proposed research include the contribution of results to the global Census of Marine Zooplankton and the provision of a practical identification guide to Thaliacea for biological oceanographers. The project will support a postdoctoral investigator at WHOI and involve undergraduate students at the University of Connecticut. Project objectives and results will be made widely available via one or more websites hosted at WHOI or the University of Connecticut.

水母纲是甲纲的一个纲，由三组中上层被毛类组成，即火龙纲、水母纲和水母纲。它们都是自由游动的全浮游生物，有着复杂的生活史和作为浮游生物中的滤食性草食动物的惊人能力。这三个目分布在世界各地，但描述的物种总数不到100种。在某些情况下，表型变异混淆了先前系统分类的努力，并留下了在许多看似世界性的形式中存在神秘物种的可能性。现有的分类和系统发育都是基于数量有限的形态特征，这已经不足以解决许多关于属和种水平上的关系的问题。初步的遗传学证据表明，海豚纲在鞘内是单系的，而盐生目、石斑目和火焰目是受很好限制的单系目。然而，序数下面的关系并不清楚，经典树和分子树之间已经出现了一些冲突。尽管它们分布在全球，具有明显的生态意义，但今天很少有科学家在海豚生物学的任何方面工作。这在一定程度上可能是由于非专家在鉴定物种方面的困难，特别是因为标本在收集过程中经常遭到破坏。这个项目汇集了两名分子动物学家和一名海豚生态和生活史方面的专家。该研究小组将寻求协调形态和遗传数据，以根据所能获得的尽可能多的所描述物种的数据，可能至少有70%的数据，建立海豚科的系统发育图。由于这些类群相当小，这是一个可行的目标，这不仅将使得到充分支持的共识系统发展和分类成为可能，而且还将使该纲的专题处理对非专家的物种鉴定有用。拟议研究的更广泛影响包括研究成果对全球海洋浮游动物普查的贡献，以及为生物海洋学家提供了一份关于海藻纲的实用鉴定指南。该项目将支持世界卫生组织的一名博士后研究员，并涉及康涅狄格大学的本科生。项目目标和成果将通过设在世界卫生组织或康涅狄格大学的一个或多个网站广泛提供。