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

泛热带被子植物科无患子科（Sapindales）的系统学、生物地理学和多样化该项目的目标是重建 Simaroubaceae 内部的关系，这是一个小型的、人们知之甚少的热带和温带乔木和灌木家族。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。由此产生的系统发育（关系史）将与科成员的形态特征、果实和叶子的化石、当前的地理分布以及过去的气候和构造活动结合起来，以阐明苦木科在过去 6500 万年的历史迁徙和多样化。分析将检测物种形成率的变化，并将其与关键形态创新的演变和跨大陆迁徙联系起来。该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体系，并进一步阐明全球范围内热带生物群的多样化。苦木科的系统发育有可能通过强调其遗传独特性，为该科中一些稀有成员出现的地区的保护政策提供信息。形态学和分子数据也将被纳入苦木科的摘要中，出现在库比茨基的“维管植物科和属”以及生命之树网络项目 (www.tolweb.org) 的页面上。

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).