REVSYS Collaborative Research: Untangling the Passionflower Vines: Phylogeny, Species Diversification, and Character Evolution in Passiflora Subg. Decaloba (Passifloraceae)

西番莲代表了一个多样化的群体，包括560多种藤本植物和乔木，主要分布在中美洲和南美洲。这些植物最为人所知的是热带西番莲果的来源，但也因其美丽、复杂的花而被广泛种植。西番莲似乎是一个最近进化的谱系，经历了迅速的物种多样化。许多物种在形态、地理分布和保护状况方面知之甚少，特别是在西番莲最大的谱系--Decaloba亚属，有235种。这项研究将综合现代和传统的方法来解决这些问题，使用DNA序列数据，扫描电子显微镜，以及对新鲜和保存的标本的观察。实地工作将使收集新的材料和记录物种分布成为可能。该项目将对迪卡洛巴的所有物种进行修订，并将提供一个现代进化框架，在该框架内解决关于花朵形状的进化、授粉综合征、花朵发育和世系的生物地理史等问题。这项研究将在一组特别有魅力的植物中解决重要的生物学和进化问题。本科生和研究生将参与这项研究。基恩州立学院和哈里斯-斯托州立大学的本科生将特别受益于参与这项研究，这两所大学主要招收人数不足的科学群体。兰乔圣安娜植物园的暑期工作坊将有来自当地社区的学生参加。实地考察将在墨西哥、中美洲和南美洲的美国科学家和同事之间建立国际合作。该项目的所有成果将通过密苏里州植物园托管的网站公布。

Passiflora represents a diverse group of more than 560 species of vines and trees primarily found in Central and South America. These plants are best known as the source of tropical passionfruit, but are also widely cultivated for their beautiful, complex flowers. Passionflowers appear to be a recently-evolved lineage that has experienced rapid species diversification. Many species are poorly understood with regard to morphology, geographical distribution, and conservation status, especially in the largest lineage of passionflowers, subgenus Decaloba, with 235+ species. This study will synthesize modern and traditional approaches to address these problems, using DNA sequence data, scanning electron microscopy, and observation of fresh and preserved specimens. Field work will enable collection of fresh material and documentation of species distributions. This project will yield a revision of all species in Decaloba, and will provide a modern evolutionary framework within which to address questions about the evolution of floral shape, pollination syndromes, floral development, and the biogeographical history of the lineage. This study will address important biological and evolutionary questions in an especially charismatic group of plants. Undergraduate and graduate students will participate in the research. Undergraduates at Keene State College and Harris-Stowe State University, institutions that primarily enroll underrepresented groups in the sciences, will especially benefit from involvement in this study. Summer workshops at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden will involve students from the local community. Field expeditions will build international collaborations among U.S. scientists and colleagues in Mexico, Central America, and South America. All results of this project will be available through a website hosted by the Missouri Botanical Garden.