REVSYS: Monographic Revision and Phylogeny of the Fern Genus Megalastrum (Dryopteridaceae)

该项目是一项为期两年的合作研究，涉及全球约60种蕨类植物Megalastrum。该项目有两个目标：首先，对该属进行分类学处理，以确定该物种是什么以及它们在哪里出现，这也将提供一种方法来识别该物种并提供关于它们的基本信息。第二，该项目将产生一个进化树，显示物种之间的关系。这棵树将作为一个框架，提出和回答有关属的地理和性格进化的有趣问题。该项目的科学重要性和更广泛的意义是几个。从根本上讲，它将导致对Megalastrum的分类和进化的更好理解，包括可能发现新的科学物种。该项目将研究导致蕨类植物多样化的因素，一般在热带美洲，那里是蕨类植物最多样化的地方。一名全职博士后和女研究生将接受该项目的培训，一名巴西合作者将与博士后一起学习一个月的DNA分析技术。所有结果将公布在项目网站上，该网站将在PI的家乡机构纽约植物园维护。

This project is a two-year collaborative study of the fern genus Megalastrum, which comprises about 60 species worldwide. The project has two goals: first, to produce a taxonomic treatment of the genus that will determine what the species are and where they occur, and that will also provide a means to identify the species and give basic information about them. Second, the project will produce an evolutionary tree showing the relationships between species. The tree will serve as a framework to pose and answer interesting questions about biogeography and character evolution in the genus. The project's scientific importance and broader significance are several. Fundamentally, it will result in an improved understanding of the taxonomy and evolution of Megalastrum, including the likely discovery of species new to science. The project will examine factors responsible for fern diversification in general in tropical America where the genus is most diverse. A full-time post-doc and female graduate student will be trained on this project, as well as a Brazilian collaborator who will spend one month with the post-doc learning the techniques of DNA analysis. All results will be posted on a project website that will be maintained at the PI's home institution, The New York Botanical Garden.