DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Systematics, biogeography and diversification of the pantropical angiosperm family Simaroubaceae (Sapindales)

泛热带被子植物Simaroubaceae（无患子目）的系统学，植物地理学和多样性这个项目的目标是重建Simaroubaceae，一个小的，知之甚少的热带和温带树木和灌木的家庭内的关系。为了实现这一目标，将使用来自五个基因区域的DNA序列数据和适当的分析计算机软件。由此产生的亲缘关系（关系的历史）将与家庭成员的形态特征，水果和叶子的化石，目前的地理分布，以及过去的气候和构造活动相结合，以阐明在过去的6500万年Simaroubaceae的历史迁移和多样化。分析将发现物种形成率的变化，并将其与关键形态学创新和跨大陆迁移的演变联系起来，这一项目将有助于增加有关许多热带植物科漫长而复杂的历史的知识，并进一步澄清全球热带生物区系的多样化。Simaroubaceae的遗传学有可能通过突出其遗传独特性，为该家族的一些稀有成员发生的地区的保护政策提供信息。形态和分子数据也将被纳入Simaroubaceae的摘要中，出现在Kubitzki的“维管植物的家族和属”中，以及生命之树网络项目（www.tolweb.org）上的页面。

Systematics, biogeography and diversification of the pantropical angiosperm family Simaroubaceae (Sapindales)The goal of this project is to reconstruct relationships within Simaroubaceae, a small, poorly understood family of tropical and temperate trees and shrubs. To accomplish this goal DNA sequence data from five gene regions, and appropriate analytical computer software will be used. The resulting phylogeny (history of relationships) will be used in conjunction with morphological characteristics of family members, fossils of fruits and leaves, current geographical distributions, and past climate and tectonic activity, to elucidate historical migrations and diversification of the Simaroubaceae during the past 65 million years. Analyses will detect shifts in speciation rates, and correlate these with the evolution of key morphological innovations and cross-continental migrations.This project will contribute to a growing body of knowledge concerning the long and complex histories of many tropical plant families, and further clarify the diversification of the tropical biota on a global basis. The phylogeny of the Simaroubaceae has the potential to inform conservation policy for regions in which some of the rarer members of the family occur, by highlighting their genetic uniqueness. Morphological and molecular data will also be incorporated into a summary of Simaroubaceae to appear in Kubitzki's 'Families and Genera of Vascular Plants', and a page on the Tree of Life web project (www.tolweb.org).