Nematodes of the Tropical Rain Forests of Costa Rica: Linking morphology and MOTUs

哥斯达黎加热带雨林的线虫：形态与 MOTU 的联系

• 批准号: 0640807
• 负责人: Deborah Neher
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Vermont & State Agricultural College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2007-04-01 至 2010-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0640807&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Nematodes; Tropical; Rain; Forests; Costa

Nematodes are known as one of the most speciose, abundant, and ubiquitous yet most poorly known of the major metazoan phyla on earth. In many habitats, the species richness of nematodes exceeds that of all other multicellular animals. Ironically, the tropical rainforest is known as a region of relatively low nematode biodiversity. The simplest explanation is that tropics have not been sampled adequately. Systematic sampling of vertical strata from soil and litter to arboreal habitats at La Selva resulted in 167 distinct MOTUs (molecular operational taxonomic unit) among the 360 nematode characterized. This project will tie the MOTUs to morphology and ecology for identification and delineation of nematode species identified in a preliminary survey. The focus will be on nematode taxa living in symbiosis (i.e., parasitism, mutualism and commensalism) with vascular and nonvascular plants, decaying plant debris, soil, epiphytes and invertebrates. As a country, Costa Rica has an unusually rich biodiversity that is seriously threatened by deforestation because of pressure of human population growth and economic expansion. The survey will establish a baseline for comparison of future conservation efforts in Costa Rica that require environmental monitoring. The timing of the study is urgent, especially in a time of rapid global climate change and habitat destruction.

线虫被认为是地球上主要后生动物门中种类最多、数量最多、普遍存在但又最鲜为人知的动物门之一。在许多栖息地，线虫的物种丰富度超过所有其他多细胞动物。具有讽刺意味的是，热带雨林被认为是线虫生物多样性相对较低的地区。最简单的解释是热带地区没有得到充分的采样。对拉塞尔瓦 (La Selva) 土壤和枯枝落叶到树木栖息地的垂直地层进行系统采样，在 360 种线虫特征中发现了 167 种不同的 MOTU（分子操作分类单位）。该项目将把 MOTU 与形态学和生态学联系起来，以识别和描绘初步调查中确定的线虫物种。重点是与维管束和非维管束植物、腐烂的植物碎片、土壤、附生植物和无脊椎动物共生（即寄生、互利和共生）的线虫类群。作为一个国家，哥斯达黎加拥有异常丰富的生物多样性，但由于人口增长和经济扩张的压力，该国正受到森林砍伐的严重威胁。 该调查将为哥斯达黎加未来需要环境监测的保护工作进行比较建立基线。这项研究的时机非常紧迫，特别是在全球气候快速变化和栖息地破坏的时期。